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By 

Alice Quesenberry 



PUBLISHED By 

THE EAGLE PUBLISHING CO. 
SAN ANTONIO. TEXAS 


This book I dedicate to Harriette and those whose love 
and appreciation encouraged the writing and without 
whose encouragement it may never have been in print. 




SEP i9i9 

©CI.A529890 


COPYRIGHT 1919 
BY ALICE QUESENBERRY 


Contents 


Chapter Page 

Remember the Sabbath, Keep it Holy - ” 17 

Honor thy Father and Mother - - - . ” II 11 
Thou shalt not take the name of the 

Lord thy God in vain - ” III 16 

Thou shalt have no other Gods before me ” IV 19 

Thou shalt not steal - -- -- -- ’’ V 22 

Thou shalt not kill ” VI 24 

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 

image ” VII 28 

Thou shalt not commit adultery - - - ” VIII 32 

Thou shalt not bear false witness - - - IX 35 

Thou shalt not covet -.------ ” X 43 

The New Commandment - ” XI 49 

PART II. 

Chapter Page 

Our Father who art in Heaven - - - ” I 53 

Hallowed be Thy name ” II 56 

Thy kingdom come - ” III 58 

Thy will be done -------- ” IV 62 

Give us this day our daily bread - - - ” V 66 

And forgive us our sins ------ ” VI 68 

Lead us not into temptation - - - - ” VII 72 

But deliver us from evil ------ VIII 74 

Thine is the kingdom ------- ” IX 78 

Thine is the kingdom (continued) - - ” X 81 

Making His kingdom come ----- ” XI 83 

The power and glory ” XII 86 

PART III. THEIR VARIOUS WAYS. 

Chapter Page 

The Nobleman’s flowers ” I 89 

Evangeline ” 11 91 

James - - ” III 93 

Gerald - ” IV 99 

Caroline ” V 103 

Maxwell ” Vl 105 

Robert ” VII 111 

Bessie - ” VIII 116 

The Sea Voyage ” IX 119 

Dora _ - - ” X 124 

The Monk Isidrio ” XI 129 

Forever and Ever ” XII 134 

Amen ” XIII 137 



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Cf)e Wi)ttl6 


AN ALLEGORY. 

Chapter 1. 

REMEMBER THE SABBATH TO KEEP IT HOLY. 

Once upon a time there was a man who was just as 
rich as a king. And he loved children. One day he 
thought about six of the neighborhood children, three 
boys and three girls between the ages of eleven and 
fifteen, and said to himself one dull, rainy day, “I will 
make something beautiful to amuse these boys and 
girls.” 

There was a large spring of the clearest water that 
ever was. It ran out of the side of a hill in his garden 
and rushed down over a rock, making a waterfall. The 
man took some fine wood and made seven wheels, cover- 
ing them with gold. The hubs were made of pearl, 
some white as the driven snow, some rose-colored and 
others tinted with blue. The wheels were made like 
those made to turn mills. There was a cup on each 
spoke which carried the water over, making the wheels 
turn. Each one of these cups was a precious stone as 
large as a teacup. 

The maker had a more wonderful mind than Edison. 
He had the first and largest wheel placed under the 




8 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


waterfall. The others were joined to it and to each 
other, so the water turned them all at once. You can 
perhaps imagine how beautiful this invention was. 

One wheel, the first, was turned by cups of rubies, 
the one next had cups of orange-colored opals. The 
third wheel was adorned with cups of yellow topaz. 
The fourth with cups of green emeralds. Fifth, blue 
with sapphire stones. The sixth had cups as purple as 
some pansies are, made of a gem,‘ hitherto unknown, 
called Reysanto. The seventh and last was lovely with 
amethysts, which are of a pale violet color. While the 
water rushed in and over them, sparkling in the sun- 
shine, the light was gleaming through the gems and 
drops of water falling like diamonds on the flowers 
near by. The cups made a rainbow as the colors were 
placed in order. There was charming music murmur- 
ing as the wheels turned. It seemed to come from the 
pearly axles, now from the water and again it seemed 
floating in the air. 

When it was finished the man sent for the children. 
He knew them well, as they had often been fed and 
clothed by him, and he thought about them all the time. 

Of course they were delighted when they saw this 
wonderful creation of wheels, rainbow and music, but 
soon they were not contented with just seeing, they 
wanted it for their very own. So the man gave a wheel 
to each girl and boy, keeping the largest, for he said: 
“Children, this wheel is the easiest broken of all and 
it makes all the music which runs through the other 
wheels.” 

He was so kind he even explained to them that it 
must be turned only by the purest water. Otherwise 
the precious stones would grow dark and dim. They 
must bring those wheels back to him once a week so 
he could set them going. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


9 


At first the children were very much pleased with 
their wheels and the girls thought they would make 
tea-sets of the cups when they were tired of seeing them 
turn. And the boys said they would sell their jewel 
cups to the watchmakers if the man did not care. 

There were some of the children ungrateful enough 
to think their rich friend should have given them the 
other wheel also. He ought not to have troubled them 
to bring their wheels back once a week to make them 
turn. “He is too careful,” they said. “Any kind of 
stream would do as well as the waterfall.” 

Some of them made up their minds to steal the first 
wheel of all. Perhaps, child reader, you would like 
to know the names of those who wanted to steal that 
which was not given them. 

A boy named Gerald first spoke of it to the others. 

“I could not do anything so mean!” said James, 
emphatically. And he kept away from those who were 
planning to do so after trying to persuade them not to. 
He did not tell on them, for in his heart he did not 
think any one of them would try to take the wheel. 

Gerald, Maxwell and one of the girls were alone 
together one evening and by dusk had the whole thing 
planned. Caroline knew how to stop the music, as she 
had seen how it was done when their kind friend pre- 
sented them the other Avheels. The idea was to get it 
on Monday night, when they went after theirs, and the 
boys asked her if she would not stop the music for them. 
They were afraid the man would hear the music as they 
went by carrying the wheel off. 

“No, indeed!” said she, and they gave it up that time, 
but one day soon after Max called to her: 

“I say. Birdie, I’ll give you one-half of the rubies 
on the wheel if you will help us get it.” 

This was her pet name, as she sang like a bird. Caro- 


10 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


line was a plump girl with dark flashing eyes and liked 
to wear red, so she found this a great temptation. Then 
the boys represented to her the man was rich and could 
easily have another wheel made, or ten more like it. 

In the end all three went together. The moon was 
hidden by a cloudy night, but their hearts beat with 
fear as she stopped the music and they got hold of the 
coveted wheel. Although there were no fierce dogs in 
the garden, every little rustle made by the night breeze 
caused them to hurry, trembling, away. Soon, however, 
they were all out without being seen by mortal eyes. 

What do you think of this way of doing? Was it 
not mean and ungrateful? And they were not so happy 
afterward as they were before. They tried to get the 
invention to turning in a brook of running water. To 
show how they went together every wheel had a letter 
engraven on it. S was the first, then A, then two B’s, 
another A, one T, and last an H. These children did 
not know how to spell well so they had S, A, T, which 
stands for a day of the week. They put the rest of 
the letters together so they spelled nothing. 

But there was no more music heard among the wheels. 
And soon old Satan came up and saw it. He thought 
they were trying to give him a nickname. In a fury 
he grabbed out with his black, burning claws and took 
away their beautiful gems by the handfuls. 

The boys and girls who had not helped to steal the 
first wheel managed to save some of their precious 
stones and wheels. The worst of them began to be 
sorry for the way they had treated their kind benefactor. 
They at last resolved to give everything back and ask 
him to make it all right again. They would then let 
him run it as he only could. 

Children, a little, no, a great lesson here. If the first 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


11 


wheel, S, U, N, D, A, Y, is turned right it makes all the 
rest go well. 

The love of God flowing through our days makes 
music in our lives all the time. It comes through keeping 
holy the first day of all. Then the rest moves on as our 
Creator intended. 


Chapter IL 

HONOR THE FATHER AND MOTHER. 

The Man not only loved all children, but was especially 
good to the poor. Once he saw two little Mexican girls 
who had been eating tuna pears. And one asked the 
other to pick some thorns out of her cheek which got 
in when she bit into the tuna. Her cousin was picking 
them out when the Nobleman passed and said: 

“Girls, come to see me and I will give you something 
better than tunas to eat.” He was going to have ice- 
cream. 

You remember Bessie, whose mother died, and Mr. 
and Mrs. Northwood, who were wealthy, feeling sorry 
for a bright child whose father had died in her infancy, 
had adopted her? They lived near by, so Bessie came 
to eat ice-cream with Caroline and Evangeline, a golden- 
haired girl with eyes as blue as summer skies, came also. 
The wheel with jewel cups of blue had been given her 
and she had always been very careful of it. Since the 
wheels were returned the children had not asked for 
them again. 

There was a girlie of the six, the youngest, and her 
name was Dora. She had dark eyes with such a pretty, 
innocent expression. They all went to the garden to 
eat ice-cream and be happy together. Before it was 
ready, while chatting with each other, unexpectedly their 


12 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


talk took a serious turn. Bessie said to Caroline: “How 
is your mother today?” 

“Not very well. Oh, dear, I wish I had not come so 
early for I meant to have swept the kitchen after washing 
the dishes, and by this time she has done it. She had 
a headache from washing so hard yesterday.” 

“He that is faithful in the least is faithful also in 
much,” said Bessie, trying to make Caroline think. 

“You just stop preaching, miss! You do not have 
to wash dishes nor hear the command, ‘Honor thy father 
and thy mother,’ ringing in your conscience all the time 
since Mrs. Northwood is not your own mother. And she 
hires all the work done, so you must have an easy time 
being good.” 

Bessie’s face looked sad for a moment, like a day 
when a cloud hides the sunshine. Tears sparkled on the 
long curved lashes as she answered: 

“If my own sweet mother were alive now, how I would 
try to do all I could for her.” 

“Come,” interrupted Evangeline, “we came to the 
garden to be merry, not sad. Listen to the music of 
the wheels — it is now more charming than ever.” 

With one arm around Bessie and the other encircling 
Caroline, she took them off with a skip and schoolhop 
to the waterfall, where the table was set out with dishes 
of ice-cream garlanded with roses. The two Mexican 
girls were there. All was life and merriment while they 
enjoyed their treat and afterward Bessie washed the 
dishes while Prudencia played the guitar, singing with 
Merihilda. 

The next day Bessie took some ice-cream to Caroline’s 
mother and Evangeline came, too. As they sat by the 
open window doing various kinds of needlework, Caro- 
line asked: 

“Bessie, why did you cry when I said Mrs. Northwood 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


13 


was not your real mother? Has it not been long since 
your own mother died?” 

“Only about two years.” 

“No doubt you were always thoughtful of her and 
did right about everything, as she taught you.” 

“No, I grieved her very much once,” replied Bessie. 

Then she went on to tell them about going to a 
Sunday picnic and while there was persuaded to sell 
fruit from a booth. She had a kind of pleasant way 
which made her very successful in gaining quite a sum 
of money. On her return she gave her part to her 
mother as a peace offering. But although needing money 
very much, her mother refused to use it, and after 
explaining to her the greatness of her sin in breaking 
the Sabbath, Bessie repented and, with her approval, 
sent the money away to the missionaries in China. 

“Oh, Evangeline! Thou ‘fair one with the golden 
locks!” exclaimed Dora, who had read many fairy 
tales. “Why do you not say something? You who 
are always so devoted to mother. See those fairies 
nestling among her flowers. She put a red rose, a lily 
and a bluebell over her heart this morn and the fairies 
came to see her.” 

“Not so,” said Evangeline, with her peaceful smile. 
“The fairies came first, dressed in red, white and blue, 
so I put the flowers there to make them happy in their 
natural homes.” 

“Tell us all about it,” begged Bessie. 

“It is this way,” said Evangeline, with Quaker-like 
seriousness. “The loveliest fairy of all is the one sitting 


14 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


in the bluebell. She^always comes when I pray early 
in the morning. That is when I really pray, for prayer 
is truly wanting something and believing God will hear 
and give. The bluebell is a prayer flower, as a poet 
said : 

‘And flowers are bells 
In groves and dells. 

That ring our hearts to prayer.’ 

Where e’er we stray where fairies play 
We’re sure to find them there. 

“More, more,” eagerly cried Dora. 

“The rose elf comes when I have really tried to 
make mother happy.” 

“What if we have no living mother?” asked Bessie 
with a sigh. 

“The fairy will come when we are good and obedient 
to those who watch over us, taking thought for our 
needs, working, caring for us. The lily elf came when 
my sins were forgiven, bringing ‘sweet peace, the gift 
of God’s love, peace which passeth understanding. The 
fairies three are Love, Joy and Peace.” 

To our hearts comes Love fair 
When God answers our prayer. 

Joy comes when parents we obey; 

And Jesus brings peace. 

From our sins a release. 

His blood will then wash them away. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


15 




“Evangeline, you are always good, the fairies teach 
you and you never do wrong,” said Dora. 

“I do wrong, sometimes,” she answered, “but I go 
to Jesus with my sin and He takes it all away and makes 
me whiter than snow. Then the fairies come back. I 
am happy when one is here, happier if two come. 


I pray to Him and when 
The fairies three 
All dwell with me. 

Oh, I am happiest then. 


“I am going to pray,” said Dora, “and do better. It 
annoys mother when I carry off the scissors she is using 
to cut out pictures for my scrap-book, so she has to wait 
and wonder where they are. I know how she feels 
since Susy Perkins carried off my dollie and I had to 
go after it before I got it again.” 

Looking up the girls saw Maxwell standing in the 
door, listening. He had heard about the fairies and all 
the rest they had said. 

“Don’t mind me, girls, I am going to do better, too, 
working with Daddy. I will try to do all I can to help 
him every day and quit shirking. Let us all try together, 
and now away to the garden to see the wheels turn and 
hear the music.” 


16 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Chapter HI. 

THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD 
THY GOD IN VAIN. 

The rich man was a nobleman, but I will not tell 
you his name, although it is grandly beautiful, for many 
people speak it wrong because they do not love him. 
They call his name in a perfectly horrible way; so we 
will just call him the Nobleman. 

Gerald was in the garden when Maxwell and the 
girls came. He was gathering roses for Caroline’s 
mother, as she was not well enough to go to Church that 
night. The Nobleman had persuaded Gerald to go to 
this meeting. The boy had not cared much about going, 
but the kind words of their friend at length made him 
decide to go. 

The words of the preacher were simple and direct. 
Gerald was in his early years and the promise, “Those 
that seek me early shall find me,” caused him to decide 
to get saved if he could. He went at it with the same 
determination that he showed when he resolved to get 
the wheel. Another promise helped him: “If ye seek 
me with the whole heart ye shall find me, so Gerald 
sought with his whole heart, surrendered, to Jesus, and 
was soundly converted. 

A word about the promises of the Bible. They are 
steps, as Bunyan says in his Pilgrim’s Progress, through 
the swampy places and quicksands of life. Everywhere 
you find a command of God, a promise is near by. So 
look for the steps. 

After Gerald had received faith in Jesus he was 
happier than he had ever been before. One day soon 
after he heard a man speak the Nobleman’s name in a 
most contemptuous way. It was not the first time he 
had heard such words, but it hurt and shocked him 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


17 


more than ever before. For he loved the Nobleman very 
dearly, now he was saved, since it was he who had per- 
suaded him to go to the meeting. 

The six children, with Bessie making seven, were in 
the habit of getting together as often as they had leisure 
hours. Trees were their favorite places of resort and 
a large willow tree, bending low, afforded them many 
comfortable seats. This they called their Talking Tree. 
Not because the tree talked, but they did, while up among 
its plumey switches. They generally went in the morn- 
ing to an oak tree, which was their singing tree — ^you 
would have thought they were sure enough birds. But 
in the evening the Talking Tree was the place, as they 
nearly always had something to talk over. 

They were all up and fixed, gracefully or otherwise, 
when Dora came, her eyes sparkling with animation and 
her cheeks flushed by coming so fast. They could see 
she had something to tell, so they all kept quiet to listen. 

She had been by the brook. The banks were green 
with moss and other verdure, with flowers here and 
there. There was a nice shade from some wild roses 
running over a tree near. Throwing herself down to 
rest among the flowers on the bank, with eyes half 
closed, she saw fairies. 

“Oh, there were more than a few,” said Dora. “They 
were about an inch high and so pure and good that their 
bodies were transparent. You could see their little red 
hearts full of love which burned like a light and they 
made no shadow at all. The dew does not give them 
colds ever, so they are covered with it, just like flowers 
are. Some wore crowns and girdles of dew, which shone, 
changing color, like jewels more beautiful than dia- 
monds. And the sweetest part of their adorning was 
that it cost nothing. They were talking about the ways 
big people had of talking and doing. Said one little 


18 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


fairy with canary -colored wings, “Why do these humans 
spit mud?” 

“I do not know,” said one, who was swinging in some 
love vine, “unless it is in their mouths and they want to 
spit it out. Some of the little boys spit mud also. I 
have seen men who were around pouring mud into 
their ears, and, of course, as the filth gets in they want 
to spit it out.” 

“Why do they not run from the men when they see 
them getting ready to pour mud into their ears?” 

“The men do it all of a sudden and are always ready 
on short notice. The best way is for boys to be busy 
at home. Still, some men spit out dirty words all around 
the home and the children get to thinking it is quite the 
thing to do. Even some girls think they can do it as 
well as the boys.” 

“Oh, my!” said a fairy girl who was fanning herself 
with a pair of rose-colored wings. How dirty the mud 
must make their clothes.” 

“It does,” said another elf dressed in spider web 
cloth trimmed with silk floss. “And those who do not 
spit mud get spattered sometimes.” 

“How much are they paid for doing it?” asked a 
thoughtful fairy. 

“Satan has them in his employ and furnishes the mud. 
He does not pay them anything for it, not even a bait 
of pollen. I never see him laugh so scornfully than 
when he sees men and boys spitting mud for all they 
are worth. And it is all done in contempt of the Noble- 
man. 

“Does he ever treat them mean?” asked another fairy, 
turning to smooth the feathers on a wing. 

“On the contrary, he is very kind to them. Although 
he does not dp to suit every mortal, a nobler being never 



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THE SEVEN WHEELS 


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was. And even a young boy to whom he has been very 
kind, mixes his name with mud and spits it out where 
all can hear.’ 

Dora paused in her story, and just then Caroline, who 
had been adorning her hair and ears with willow blooms, 
happening to look at Maxwell, saw his face was as red 
as a turkey gobbler’s head in winter. It did not occur 
to her the reason why. 

Chapter IV. 

THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. 

One day while James was reading his Bible, he found 
this verse in the twentieth chapter of Exodus: “Thou 

shalt have no other gods before me.” With a surprised 
look on his face he read it aloud and asked: 

“Mother, how is this? You always taught me there 
was only one God?” 

“Yes, but many people make others for themselves,” 
she answered as she moved around, busy with her house- 
work. 

This set James to thinking, and when he “fell into a 
deep well of thought” he usually asked no more ques- 
tions. 

With his fingers between the pages of the Book, mark- 
ing the place, he got up and strolled away. His pet, 
Felix, a large gray cat, followed him. James and the 
cat went down to an old deserted castle not far from 
the garden. It belonged to the Nobleman and had one 
side nearly covered with ivy. He climbed up to a ledge 
where the ivy vines made a level resting place on a 
platform of rock, and reclined there as if on a couch, 
looking up into the sky. There was, on the other side of 
the winding stairway of stone steps, a similar platform, 
ending the flight. There he lay thinking, while Felix 
got as near as he could on one arm and purred. 

But James ceased to notice him; in about twenty 


20 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


minutes the Bible slid from his hand, falling open at the 
place his fingers had marked. 

Soon a white cat, of large size and beauty, came out 
of a window, and climbing slowly down on the ivy, 
rested on one of the stone steps in a most dignified 
position. 

Some moment later a half-grown Maltese kitty joined 
the others, stretching herself on the opposite ledge in 
the sunshine which lingered there in the middle of the 
afternoon. This one belonged to Evangeline, a gift from 
Mr. Northwood. Felix, unable to get a word or caress 
from James, looked over at the white cat sitting so 
stately and fair. 

“Why do you always sit as if you were cut out of 
marble?” asked he. 

“I learned that in Egypt, where I used to be worshiped 
as a god. My priest taught me to sit that way while he 
drew aside the curtain made of blue linen heavily em- 
broidered with gold. And many people of all ages 
came and, kneeling, prayed to me. “Cats were first 
tamed in Egypt, the land of my birth. But mee-ow, me, 
Osi will never go back to Bubastes, Egypt, because this 
old castle suits me best and the Nobleman certainly 
takes good care of cats and sparrows. He sent a servant 
down there on some business and he bought me for a 
large sum of money and brought me here, where I am 
more glad to run around like other cats, only when I am 
quiet I fall into the posture of King of Cats and one 
of the gods of the Egyptians.” 

The Maltese could read, and looking down on the 
words, “Thou shalt have none other gods before me,’ said: 

“But there is only one God. I used to live with a 
man who had many gold and silver dollars. Although 
he did not kneel to worship them, his whole time and 
love was given to getting money and looking at it. He 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


21 


bored a hole in a post of his old-fashioned bedstead 
large enough for rats to get into. There were hundreds 
and hundreds of bills of paper money hid away there. 
And the mice and rats destroyed the most of it. Money 
was his god.” 

“Oh, mee-ee-ow,” said Felix, “I lived in a family 
where they were so afraid of losing a chance to make a 
little money, they would not take time to rest on Sunday 
and really were as free from a conscience about it as a 
baby mouse is of hair.” 

It was then the white cat licked her chops and, looking 
wistfully at a hole in the ivy, said: 

“Without plenty of rest people die before their time.” 

As the Maltese always rested plenty, she liked to talk. 

“I came from an island called Malta. It was first 
called Melita, or Cat Island. My ancestors heard St. 
Paul preach there, where he stayed a while after landing 
from a wrecked ship.” 

Here Osi, the white cat, drew herself up proudly and 
said: “Egypt is of more note than Malta, so no doubt 
my priests were as good as St. Paul.” 

Felix just then sprang lightly to a place on the ivy 
between them and began his story. 

“There was a girl named Georgie, who was attending 
a camp meeting. She came to a service one night dressed 
in a fanciful way, with ribbons tacked on her dress and 
more rings than necessary. She was seeking salvation 
and went to the altar every night. But it did not seem 
to do her much good. One night a preacher asked her 
if she had any idol in her heart and she confessed that 
dress was her idol. The minister told her if she ever 
expected to get saved she must first give up her idol, 
must give up everything for Jesus. 

As she was very much in earnest, she did so, and came 
the next night without her trimmings of ribbons. She 


22 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


went to the altar again and was converted that night. 
Her face shone with a light from Heaven. I saw it 
myself, for I followed Evangeline there, and while I 
slept they all shouted so loud it woke me up. The cats 
were rejoicing with loud purrings because the girl had 
found something better than dress to be happy over — 
something that would last.” 

A sweet, strong voice was heard singing near by and 
James verily thought “Angels were rejoicing for a soul 
saved.” 

But it was only Evangeline coming from the garden, 
where she had been listening to the music of the wheels, 
and was singing a hymn from the joy of her heart. 

James suddenly got up and started to go. Felix on 
one arm and his Bible under the other. Osi, forgetting 
his sacred posture as a god, and careless of all dignity, 
jumped over on Sodir, the Maltese, whereupon biting, 
tumbling and rolling, they reached the path together 
and scampered on ahead. 

Chapter V. 

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. 

It had been raining very hard, so the brook which 
made the waterfall in the garden had grown much larger 
and swifter. The music of the wheels became grander 
and more thrilling since the rush of the stream made it 
louder. Maxwell was there one day, for he loved to 
stretch himself out on the green grass near by, listening 
to the music and his own thoughts. 

He could see under one of the large rocks over which 
the water fell and observed a kind of cave the current 
had made. He recalled the hole in the bedpost James 
had told him about, thinking what a nice place this little 
cave would be to hide away money. 

Miss Day, a friend of Evangeline, had thirty dollars 
saved up in a fruit can and did not like to keep it in 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


23 


the house for fear it would be stolen. 

Maxwell went to see her one day and asked her if 
she did not think the cave would be a good place to 
bury it in. She agreed that it would and soon took it 
there herself, as she loved the music of the wheels. 

Miss Rosie Day had two beautful dogs, part shepherd, 
and the one she loved best was called Mistress’ Baby. 
They understood things she said. One day she told them 
to drive some cows out of the Johnson grass near her 
home. When she said: 

“Now, you. Colonel, and Mistress Baby, just go drive 
them out!’* They went running after them and never 
stopped until the intruders were out of the gate. 

These dogs were fond of Maxwell and went hunting 
with him near the castle and all around the garden. The 
Nobleman liked him on his premises; in fact, he said 
to all the children, “Search the garden, for there are 
many precious things in there to be found and enjoyed; 
jewels found here you may keep as long as you live.” 

As the boy was hunting one day he saw a man going 
toward the waterfall. He was fat and low and sin had 
made him have a mean look. Max saw him stoop down at 
the cave and finally he had the can with the money 
inside and was going off with it. 

Maxwell was brave, if nothing else, so he ran after 
this fellow and the dogs, who knew what was the matter, 
for they saw Miss Day put the can there. So, after him 
they went. Colonel got hold of his pants near his knee, 
but he tore loose and, dodging back suddenly, struck 
Max a stunning blow with his fist, which felled him to 
the ground. His soul must have gone out of his body, 
for then and there he understood dog language. 

Mistress Baby raised her nose in the air with a long. 


24 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


mournful bay, “You stay here, Colonel, while I go tell 
Miss Rosie.” 

“Wooh!” said Colonel; “if I could only have fastened 
my teeth in that fat leg of his — it must have greased the 
fence as he went over — that was the way he slipped off 
so quick.” Barking all the time in his excitement away 
went the other dog to tell Miss Day. 

“Bow wow ! How mean from a lady to steal ! 

I could tear his hide like an onion peel, 

I am surely going to keep on his track. 

The devil will get him or he’ll pay back.” 

Chapter VI. 

THOU SHALT NOT KILL. 

When Rosie Day saw Mistress’ Baby coming she knew 
something was the matter. He ran to her, whining, as 
she stroked his head, then barking wildly rushed down 
the path, then stopped and looked back at her. As she 
was busy she did not try to understand him until he 
came back the second time and implored her to follow 
him. 

Reaching the place where Maxwell lay, she saw he 
was very pale and, coming closer, found him uncon- 
scious. He had struck his head against a stone, where 
he fell, bruising it so the blood came, staining his collar 
and shirt. 

The girl soon called a neighbor, who helped her carry 
him into her house, where they laid him on a bed by the 
window in her spare room. She bathed his face with 
camphor and he soon became conscious. Miss Rosie, 
one of the kindest of nurses, did all she could for him. 

Maxwell was looking out of the window at a very 
pretty view. The Nobleman’s castle, with its forest of 
pine and cedar around, the shining stream which passed 
by it, and at some distance watered the garden, besides 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


25 


the little open of prairie arrayed in Spring’s robe of 
green, was altogether a lovely picture. 

Soon the Nobleman came to see him, for He knew 
just when He was especially needed by anyone. Maxwell 
thought of how he had also stolen, from this great friend, 
and felt his anger toward the thief who had stolen Miss 
Day’s money growing less. 

The Nobleman came near him in his quiet room and 
asked all about his hurt and how it happened. The 
Nobleman had a voice like rippling water, and when 
he spoke of wrong-doing it sounded like the sigh of 
the sea. He found Maxwell was far more concerned 
about Miss Day’s losing her money and the escape of 
the thief than he was over his bruised head. In a few 
moments he said with an effort: 

“I am sorry, sir, I helped steal your best wheel of 
all and, worse still, called your name in that impolite 
and wicked manner.” 

“It is all forgiven, my son,” answered the Nobleman, 
and his voice, like the sound of many waters, was inex- 
pressibly soothing to Maxwell and fell like music on 
his ear as He went on to tell him the right way and 
pointed from the window to some shining tracks in the 
garden. 

After a while the boy asked Him if the thief meant 
to kill him when he struck him so hard. 

“I believe he did,” continued Max, “for I saw a look 
in his eyes that seemed to threaten death to me, and my 
head hurts so, it nearly kills me.” 

The Nobleman put balsam on his wound, saying, as 
he did so, “I can well believe he did. When sin is in 
the heart the sinful deed follows, if possible. Let us 
pray that the thought of his heart may be forgiven him, 
for a fair maiden, Mercy, loves him still.” 


26 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Maxwell dropped off to sleep and awoke much re- 
freshed. He heard the merry voice of Caroline, and she 
came into the room, bringing some cornflowers she had 
gathered from the garden, which she arranged for him. 

After she left Gerald came, bringing him a trout he 
had caught in a brook. He found Max so much recov- 
ered that he took this opportunity to tell him, as he 
had longed to do before, all about his conversion, and 
how he loved the Nobleman. 

‘T went to that meeting solely because I could not 
resist his entreaties. My heart felt hard that night. I 
was full of mischief and even tickled my cousin’s ear 
with a straw while she had her face down, praying. When 
a preacher asked me to go to the altar I said no at first, 
but afterward said, “Boys, let’s go, just for fun,” and 
went. But there was no more fun for me when I saw 
these words on a card: “Where will you spend eter- 
nity?” just as I knelt down. And I know that without 
a pure heart I could never enter the pearly gates or 
dwell with the holy Ones. So I prayed for forgiveness 
in an agony of shame and fear. 

The FAIREST OF ALL came that way and stopped 
to touch my soul. Then I felt that I was washed in 
His blood and born of the Spirit. Heavenly peace filled 
my heart and I was so full of joy and love I wanted to 
embrace everybody.” 

“I wish I could be saved, too,” said Maxwell, “but 
next Friday I am going to a dance — I feel that dancing 
and salvation do not go together.” 

“Oh, Max,”- said Gerald, “let’s pray for you to be 
saved, then you will not care to dance.” 

Maxwell wanted to have an experience like Gerald’s, 
so they prayed together, but he did not surrender his 
love for the pleasures of this world. His heart was 
full of earthly thoughts and, although praying made 




THE SEVEN WHEELS 27 

him feel that he had made a start, still in his heart there 
was no room for Jesus. 

Evangeline came, and sang “Jesus Is Passing This 
Way,” and he almost felt as if he had let Him pass 
without leaving him a blessing. To divert his mind he 
began to talk to her about how wicked murderers were, 
trying to kill people. 

“Well, people are being killed every day without a 
shot from a gun or a blow on the head,” said she. 
“Think of the wives who die of broken hearts because 
their husbands drink or gamble.” 

And if “pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet 
to the soul and health to the bones,” unkind words are 
bitter as quinine and disease to the bones and disease 
often brings death. Unkind and cruel words kill the 
flowers of affection, and they are the best things in 
life. 

James came in now with a book for Maxwell to read. 
“Mother says the worst thing I do is to kill time,” was 
his contribution to the subject. 

And Bessie brought him a basket full of strawberries 
from Mr. Northwood. 

“I have heard of killing one’s faith by telling a lie 
or by deception, which I hope will never be my sin, 
even if I were to escape falling into hell, where liars 
burn.” 

“And I,” said innocent little Dora, with sparkling 
eyes, “never killed anything unless it was mamma’s 
grass by running over it when I forgot. Or the flowers, 
by forgetting to water them.” 

She had brought Maxwell an apple as rosy as herself. 
The injured boy looked serious as he thought of the 
time he had killed by dancing. 

“Cheer up Max,” continued gay little Dora, “I have 


28 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


a fairy story to tell you next week when we meet.” 

And Maxwell felt 

The world is filled with friendship, the world is all 
asm*ile, 

Perhaps we may sing all the way, and Heaven’s just 
afterwhile. 

Chapter VH. 

THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY 
GRAVEN IMAGE. 

The children had gone to the Talking Tree and some 
were up when Bessie began with this question: 

“Why does the Bible tell us not to make the likeness 
of anything in Heaven above or in earth beneath, when, 
just think of all the beautiful pictures, statues and monu- 
ments with scenes of holy things made every day.” 

Just then James, who was nearly up to a seat, broke 
a rotten limb and fell, his coat catching on a strong 
one; he hung in a position not over artistic. 

“Huh!” said Gerald, who loved to tease, “I would 
like to make your likeness now if I had my kodak here.” 

Evangeline was the tallest, so came to his rescue, and 
it was not long until all were happily seated in the tree. 

“Thou shalt not make to thee,” explained Evangeline, 
“that is for wrong purposes, such as worshiping them. 
Or spending large sums of money for these fine works 
of art, while many have to go hungry, poorly clad, half- 
starved for food or hungry for books or an education, 
because some of the rich know no moderation. 

“I have seen children with Teddy Bears that cost 
two dollars and a half,” put in Dora. 

“Ten or more,” said James. 

“And it takes money to send the good news of salva- 
tion to the heathen,” said Bessie. 

It began to thunder then, so fearing a rain was coming 
they all got down in a hurry. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


29 


Dora called back, “Max, I am coming up Friday 
night to tell you what the fairies were saying.” 

Max barely understood what she said, as he was some 
distance off. When Friday came he went to his mother, 
a little out of sorts. 

“Dora said she was coming Friday night, and she 
knew I was going to the dance.” 

“I would rather you did not go, Maxwell. It looks 
like rain and your wound is not healed yet.” 

The boy said no more. He knew he ought not to go 
to the dance, anyway, but it cost him a struggle to give 
it up and be in a good humor. 

Gerald and James came with Dora. At the cross- 
road Evangeline, Caroline and Bessie joined them, mak- 
ing the seven children at the house. 

“Down by the brook, where the dewberries are bloom- 
ing, I heard the fairies again,” began Dora. 

“One with yellow wings and one dressed in thistle- 
down were the first I saw. The sunshine on the yellow 
wings made them gleam like gold and lighting on the 
thistle-down robe made it shine like silver. Said one 
to the other: ‘Did you know a company of fairies came 
last night from Korea on their carpet, which goes a 
thousand miles an hour. The Queen was with them and 
her cabinet of fairies spoke, each in turn, in their 
council. They wanted to decide where to send the next 
rain. One up and spoke: 

“ ‘Oak Island has made two contributions to the mis- 
sionaries at Korea; they are worthy to have the rain.’ 
They decided then to send the rain there, as the farmers 
needed rain as much as the missionaries required money. 
And their prayer soon brought rain in abundance. 


30 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Then the one with shining crown did say, 

The money which is spent each day, 

On Teddy Bears and jewelry. 

Would send the Gospel speedily. 

“ ‘What is the Gospel, and why do the Koreans need 
it?’ asked a fairy whose spider-web dress was stained 
with blue spiderwort. 

“ ‘Gospel means good news, and they need it because 
their souls need salvation. It is the good news of salva- 
tion through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, received 
by faith, which is itself the gift of God. Most of the 
Koreans worship idols.’ 

“At this time,” Dora continued, “mamma called me 
and the fairies disappeared. I was tempted to be cross, 
but I remembered Evangeline told us if we were not good 
we could not hear the fairies.” 

Maxwell remembered his own temptation and was 
glad of the victory he had gained. James then recited 
the second commandment in full: 

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven im^ge or 
the likeness of anything that is in the Heavens above, 
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water 
under the' earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them nor 
worship them, for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous 
God, visiting the iniquities of them upon the children 
unto the third and fourth generation and shewing mercy 
unto thousands of them that love me and keep my com- 
mandments.” (Ex. iv, 5-6.) 

“Visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children 
unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate 
me,” corrected Gerald. 

“Right,” said James; “the curse of an evil inheritance 
can be done away with in those who love God. Our 
healing is in our redemption, body and soul alike. Ages 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


31 


before the commandment was given, Greeks and Romans 
had gods for everything they could imagine nearly. 
They filled their groves with their marble images. Jupi- 
ter was the head one, Mars the god of war, Venus god- 
dess of beauty, and Cupid, her son, god of love. Nep- 
tune god of the sea, and Pluto god of hell, who had a 
fearful dog having three heads.” 

“Oh!” exclaimed Dora, “a dog with one head scares 
me bad enough!” 

“Well, when I have time I will tell you more on this 
interesting subject.” 

James had a magic lantern with views of the Holy 
Land to show Maxwell and the rest. The last of the 
scenes in the life of Christ was Jesus praying on the 
mountain top at night with the moon shining on His 
holy head. Then Gerald offered a prayer, for He was 
yet in His first love for the Lord. The Nobleman was 
there and the warmth of his great loving heart filled 
the room. 

As Evangeline sat down to play and sing He whis- 
pered something to her which inspired her to do her 
best. As she sang “Why Not Now?” Maxwell thought 
how immeasurably higher in value were the pure pleas- 
ures they were enjoying, to pleasures of sin. His heart 
echoed, “Why not now?” and made the decision. Only 
the beautiful peace in his face spoke of the change within 
for he was saved the moment he decided for God, and 
the joy of believing came with the words of that song. 
The next Sunday the others saw him join the Church 
and then he testified of Jesus, his Redeemer. 


32 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Chapter VIII. 

THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. 

“We don’t have our pretty wheels to play with any 
more,” said Dora to her mother one day. “I believe I 
will go down where the dewberries are blooming.” 

After she put down her head among the flowers she 
saw near by a fairy dressed in apple green. And in a 
moment another dressed in sky blue struggling with his 
wings to get out of a bell-shaped flower, came there. 
They both sat down on the bluebell vine to talk, while 
others joined them to listen. 

“Oh, look down in the water,” said Ema Raid to 
Ceru Lyon. “See those black bugs whirling and spinning 
around in the water as if they were in the mazes of a 
dance.” 

“Why, they are too small to have much brains, and 
I guess their grandparents did not eat any forbidden 
fruit so as to bring them a sinful nature.” 

The fairies were startled, and were about to hide 
away under the leaves. However, they concluded 
it was a strang sheep bleating, and recovered their 
composure. 

“Someone said to me once that dancing was an im- 
moral amusement,” now answered Ceru Lyon. 

“But bugs may be pure like angels, who do not think 
or do wrong.” 

Another fairy, dressed in white silk from a pod which 
grows on a vine and is full of silk, which the fairies 
make into cloth, now spoke. 

“I have read that dancing leads many girls and boys 
astray. They have lately built a home for girls at 
Brackenridge Park. A man by that name gave the 
building site and when he saw the beautiful Home the 
Salvation Army Captain had been successful in having 
built through funds she collected, he was so glad that he 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


33 


shed tears and gave them seven acres more, where trees 
covered the ground with pleasant shade. 

“Let me tell you what I learned about it,” spoke 
Eddy Cation, who knew many languages. Dog Latin and 
even Squeakzee, which is mice talk. “A mouse who lived 
some time in the building came out into the country 
for a change and knowing their Squeakzee language I 
can tell you what they said. 

“ ‘The Home is two stories high, with galleries above 
and below, with seven rooms on each floor. Down- 
stairs there is a large hall with a nice piano, so the 
girls can have the blessed and refining influence of 
music. So far from depreciating the girls, they want 
to give them every advantage they can. A large dining- 
room, with kitchen adjoining, is fitted up with modern 
conveniences. The girls are not required to see visitors 
unless they wish. 

“ ‘You see,’ continued the mouse, ‘how fat I am, and 
judge of our fare. Upstairs the sleeping apartments 
are models of neatness, with white beds well supplied 
with blankets. I heard the girls tell their experiences 
in Chapel meeting. Many of them had never really 
understood what religion was until they came to the 
Home.’ ” 

“Why didn’t their mammas teach them about Jesus?” 
exclaimed Dora, forgetting, “and how He is able to save 
everybody from sin?” 

Now the fairies were scared, sure enough, for they 
thought it was a dog barking who might light on them 
with muddy paws, so they all fled into their flowers. 

When Dora finished her story Evangeline decided 
she would visit this Home, accompanied by a dear friend 
whose name was Mill May. Near meadows where 
strawberries grew wild was her home. Her eyes were 
brown and her yellow hair shining as if sunbeams were 


34 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


caught and playing hide and seek in it. She was the 
one a song was written for, beginning: 

“The strawberries grow in the mowing, Mill May, 

The bob-o-link is singing on the tree; 

On the knoll the red clover is growing Mill May, 

Oh, come to the meadows with me. 

And the long afternoon 

Together we will pass 

Where the clover is growing. Mill May.” 

When the visitors arrived the matron led Evangeline 
to the piano and asked her to play for the girls while 
they were at work cutting out garments on the dining- 
room table. Taking Mill May upstairs to a little room 
she said: 

‘T want you to talk to Esmeralda, she is breaking 
her heart over her trouble.” 

The girl was sitting there with a hard expression 
on her otherwise beautiful face. She had the dark eyes 
that speak of a passionate nature. 

Mill May, holding her hand, soon won her sad story 
from her. She knew very little about God, nothing of 
salvation. She had given her whole heart in love and 
A kind of adoration to one who had left her nothing 
but husks. 

Mill May told her the sweet story, ever new, of Jesus 
and His love. She told her that sometimes God takes 
away some loved one to make room for Himself and 
His great love. How he was ready to fill her empty 
throne with one worthy of her love, and with a joy that 
would chase her sorrows away. 

Mill May now thought of one young man whose love 
was true, because he was a child of God; thought of 
the holiness of their affection, inspired of God, and 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


35 




her confidence in its constancy — and then — of Esmeralda. 
Her loss how great; innocence gone, with home circle, 
friends, and even not sure of her mother’s love, perhaps 
it, too, would have failed had she known that the child 
of her pride and delight was THERE. 

With tears in her lovely eyes she prayed that this 
lost soul might find peace believing on the Lamb of 
God that taketh away the sin of the world. 

The next day Evangeline told the seven about their 
visit to the Rescue Home, as soon as they were gathered 
in the Talking Tree. 

“And is there no place for the men?” asked Dora. 

“No, dear,” replied Evangeline; “society does not 
seem to scorn them. With God, however, there is but 
one law of purity for both, since His wisdom is without 
partiality.” 

Chapter IX. 

THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS. 

{Exodus XX, 16.) 

Caroline had also missed the wheel that once had 
been given her. She playfully reminded Max one day 
that he had promised her the red rubies if she would 
stop the music of the wheels so they could steal the 
best one. 

“I did something then which I felt was wrong, be- 
cause you tempted me with the ruby stones,” said she. 
“After I did what you asked me to do you ought to 
give me something really pretty, since I could not keep 
the rubies.” 

So Maxwell bought her a very pretty breastpin. It 
was round and covered with stones of red glass which 
looked like rubies. Anyhow, Caroline was pleased with 
it and proud to wear it. 

One warm day while wading in the brook she had 
fastened the pin carelessly, or it would not have hap- 


36 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 




pened, it fell in the water and washed down stream so 
no one could find it. 

Since then she had gone to stay with an invalid lady 
was name was Mrs. Hopkins. She paid her good wages, 
the work was light and she had time for herself several 
hours of the day. 

Mrs. Hopkins was not up and about very often. She 
lay on the couch by the window most of the mornings, 
occasionally taking a ride in the evening. 

Caroline’s mother had improved in health so much 
she was willing for her to be away, as she said, “Caro- 
line never would like to cook and she did like to read 
out loud, sing and chat with Mrs. Hopkins.” She was 
full of the life and spirits of youth, and her company 
was very diverting to the sick lady. She gave her 
mother nearly all the money she earned and a Mexican 
woman was hired to help with the work. 

Do not think, dear children, that Caroline was lazy. 
It was work sometimes to sing and play, and the many 
little things she did for her companion often made her 
tired come night. 

Mrs. Hopkins also had a beautiful pin, very much 
like hers. It was round and was set with red, but they 
were real rubies, and the pin was gold. Mrs. Hopkins 
said she would lend it to her once in a while when she 
was not wearing it herself. This was when she went 
to Church or was out riding. Caroline was delighted 
to have it on and Maxwell admired it the very first 
time she wore it, when, just for fun, she said: 

“I believe I will steal it while she is asleep.” 

Dora and a neighbor’s boy heard her, but they knew 
she was joking. It is very wrong and dangerous to 
tell lies, and we ought not to tell untruths, even for fun ; 
it is not a smart way of being funny. 

Lying is such a wicked way of sinning, we should be 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


37 


very careful of every word we say. Dora then told her 
about the fairy necklace which was given to a little girl 
who was always telling lies and exaggerating the truth. 
It was the gift of her fairy godmother, who turned pale 
and became sick when she heard a lie. If the child told 
more than the truth the necklace grew so large she 
could not keep it on. Or if she kept the truth back it 
would get very small and choke her. By wearing this 
necklace she was cured of her bad habit of telling lies. 

As Dora finished her admonition, Caroline laughed 
good-naturedly; she did not often story for fun. 

One bright morning she was dusting off the bureau 
and admired the pin lying there with its glowing red 
jewels, until a mocking bird trilled a beautiful carol, 
and just then she turned to hear at the open window. 
One reason she sang so sweetly she always listened to 
the birds. She leaned on the bureau and sang out: 

“Birdie, I was named for you; did you know it?” 

When she turned around the pin was gone. She 
thought at first it had fallen behind the bureau, but 
nowhere could she see it. Down near the end of the 
room was a hole in the floor where she swept the dust 
every day. She decided it had fallen through the floor. 

Mrs. Hopkins had a headache, so she put off telling 
her until the next day. And when it dawned she still 
put it off. One evening Mrs. Hopkins asked her to 
fasten her collar with the pin and take her out for a 
drive. Then she said: 

“Oh, Mrs. Hopkins, it fell through the floor!” 

The lady, with the fretful way of an invalid, said 
she would not go for the drive without it. Her nephew, 
Rob, had sent it to her from the West Indies and the 
bright red color made her feel stronger. 

“When had she seen it last?” Then Caroline simply 




38 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


told her about seeing it on the bureau and how it was 
gone when she turned back from the window. 

“Well, you said it fell through the floor,” she re- 
marked, as she went for Mr. Hopkins to raise the board. 
The floor was taken up a few boards and a searchlight 
used, but no pin was there. 

“I thought you said it fell through the floor,” repeated 
Mrs. Hopkins, and her curious questions made all the 
rich color fade from Caroline’s cheeks as she thought 
“Was it possible she was suspected of stealing?” 

The next day Caroline went home to see her mother. 
While she was gone a girl named Agnes Thinkill, with 
a neighbor schoolboy, stopped to see Mrs. Hopkins, 
who told them about her pin being gone. Then the 
little boy said he heard Caroline say she was going to 
steal that pin. Only the difference of a word or two 
from telling the exact truth about what Caroline had 
really said. How often in a company an evil word is 
spoken of somebody, each one in turn saying something 
unkind; they make “fur fly,” leaving the absent one 
almost bare and apparently far from being good. Mrs. 
Thinkill, who had joined the party, said she had heard 
of her stealing something before, and Agnes carelessly 
added that Caroline had stolen something from a Noble- 
man not long ago. 

When Caroline came back she was told by Mrs. Hop- 
kins that she would not need to stay with her longer 
unless she found and returned the pin, or at least con- 
fessed that she took it. 

“I was reared to be honest and don’t steal,” was all 
she answered. 

Bessie found her that evening in a lonely nook of 
the garden crying as if her heart would break. When 
she told Max about her trouble he had given her such 


i 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


39 


a strange look that she thought even he doubted her. 

Bessie was a friend in need and did not for a moment 
think Caroline had taken the pin. Putting her arm 
around her, she whispered, “Let’s pray God to find it 
for you,” and they lifted their sorrowful hearts in 
earnest prayer. Dora found them, and leaning her head 
against Caroline in a kittenlike way, said; 

Never mind; the fairies can find out about any- 
thing. Since we have asked our Heavenly Father, He 
will make the fairies tell me. I will go to the bank 
and listen.” 

As soon as she could she went, and, true enough, 
the fairies were talking about it. Ceru said to Eddy] 

“What a shame for Mrs. Hopkins to think Caroline was 
a thief!” 

“You cannot blame Mrs. Hopkins; she had not known 
Caroline long, and just think how those gossips talked 
and told stories about her,” he replied. 

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh- 
bor is one of the ten commandments Gc>d gave to mor- 
tals. Why do they not be sure to speak the truth or 
nothing?” said Ceru. 

Eddy Cation answered mournfully: 

“Most children here do not even know there are ten 
commandments, much less what they are about. Alas! 
some children learn many things besides God’s truths. 
He does not want them to lie or backbite, but these sins 
come naturally to children who grow up like weeds 
without any training in His law, and many such are in 
the public schools.” 

Here the - Queen’s page, shining like a star, said to 
the others: “Our Queen will sleep in a poppy bloom 
tonight, which will make her dream where the pin is. 
She knows of a prayer two girls made yesterday, and 


Ml.; 


40 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


God has told her she can help by dreaming it out.” 

Dora heard no more of the fairies then; they had 
disappeared. The next morning she begged her mother 
to spare her time to go there again. 

A crowd of fairies, looking most charming in their 
rainbow girdles, were watching the coming of their 
queen. She was sailing toward them in a gilded walnut 
hull and was dressed in spun glass. (Now do not doubt 
it, children. There was a dress made of spun glass at 
the World’s Fair at St. Louis, and fairies are more 
skilled than mortals in the fine arts.) The Queen had 
a most joyful expression — it was good news in her face. 
She was about to land where the fairies had strewed 
their lovely cloaks for her to walk on. 

But oh, just then a farmer boy in a field near by swore 
at his team. The Queen quickly veiled herself and, with 
her whole company of fairies, melted from sight sooner 
than the mist vanishes before the morning sunbeams. 

Although Caroline was much cheered by what Bessie 
and Dora had said, she had a trial Sunday when she 
met her class. 

They had all heard about the missing pin, and the 
opinions expressed by the gossips had influenced them 
so much that instead of meeting their teacher with open 
looks and confidence, as they usually did, they lowered 
their eyes and met her with coldness. 

Even some of the grown girls and teachers looked as 
if they really did not know what to think of her. This 
was very trying to the warm-hearted Caroline. She 
remembered how joyous she felt the morning the mock- 
ing bird sang so gaily, and, all through no fault of hers, 
her joy was overshadowed by a cloud which darkened 
everything. 

Evangeline told her to trust in the promise “that all 
things shall work together for good to those who love 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


41 




God,” but she feared to claim the promise, for she was 
not sure she loved Him. 

If He made a law for people not to bear false wit- 
ness and tell lies on their neighbor, why, when she was 
harming no one, did He suffer them to talk and act so? 
Perhaps, she finally thought, it was because she had 
forgotten to ask forgiveness of the Nobleman for helping 
to steal His wheel. So she hastened to the garden where 
He was walking in the cool of the day. 

“Oh, sir,” she said, “when He stopped to greet her, 
“I am in such trouble, you know, but I deserve it.. You 
were so kind to me, to us all, and I was ungrateful; 
please, do PLEASE, forgive me for what I did.” 

The Nobleman was touched by her tears and frank 
confession. 

“My child,” he said, “I freely forgive you; all will 
come right before long.” 

The music of the wheels rose on the breeze and filled 
her with delight; listening, she forgot all her distresses. 
She gathered some flowers for her mother, and could 
even sing on her way home. 

The seven children met at the Singing Tree and sang 
“I Must Tell Jesus” and “He Is Able to Deliver Thee.” 
Maxwell had brought Caroline a pin with red glass 
sets, exactly like the first, he said, with a mischievous 
smile. In fact, it was the first; he had found it in the 
brook, and she saw she was mistaken about his really 
doubting her honesty— rit was only a passing thought. 

Then Gerald prayed that all the rest of the little band 
might each be saved by faith in Jesus. And one and all 
told Dora to be sure to keep very quiet while listening 
to the fairies. 

Down to the brook she sped after her work was done. 
The queen of fairies was just seating herself on her 


42 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 




throne when a band of fairies stood and began the love- 
liest music on little teensy instruments — but, oh, it was 
beautiful! It was the music of the pure, holy fairies 
and their love for their Queen rippled out in every 
strain of the tune. 

Then the Queen began to talk, and you could have 
heard a dewdrop fall from one of their girdles, so still 
were they all. 

“My dream was of long ago, when things were made 
of good material and to last. A bureau belonged to 
somebody’s great, great, great, great, great, great-grand- 
father. It was an heirloom, for it came from father to 
son until the last heir died and Mr. Hopkins bought it. 
I dreamed I saw Caroline leaning on it one bright June 
morning, a small board bent down, the pin lying on it 
slid into a hole and, oh, wonderful to relate, the board 
was in place, so no one could see that it had moved.” 
The fairy music rose in triumph. The Queen rose to 
embark, her subjects followed, kissing her footprints. 
Dora could keep quiet no longer. 

“Hurrah!” she cried. “Hallelujah!” The fairies, oh, 
where were they then? Dora did not wait to see, but 
ran to Caroline’s home as fast as she could, and you 
would have thought of a hurricane when she came in. 
First she ran to Caroline and hugged her, threw a pillow 
at her younger brother, grabbed up the cat and ex- 
claimed: “I know where it is!” 

She might have meant the Capitol of Texas for all 
they understood. 

“The pin, I mean!” 

Then she told them the dream of the Queen of the 
fairies, and they all went immediately to Mrs. Hopkins 
and asked her to show them the bureau. After some 
little time the secret spring was made to open. Down 


43 






THE SEVEN WHEELS 

deep in the drawer was the ruby pin, shining in all its 
glory. Was that all? No, more wonderful still, listen! 
This bureau had passed from father to son, and each 
had left some treasure in it. Necklaces with pearls of 
immense value, brooches set with diamonds, rings with 
curious sets, watches only waiting to be wound, and 
their curious charms hanging — it would take too long 
a story to mention all the things, rich and rare, found 
in that secret drawer. 

Now Mrs. Hopkins embraced Caroline and begged 
her pardon. Now the honesty of Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins 
was tested. To their credit, be it known, they tried long 
to find an heir, but they were all dead. 

Mrs. Hopkins could now go to a healthier clime. She 
gave Caroline a pearl necklace and wanted to write to 
her nephew, Rob, to send another ruby pin exactly like 
hers. But Caroline excused herself for . declining this 
last, as she already had a pin and could not very well 
wear two. So it should be for Dora, if Mrs. Hopkins 
pleased. And can you doubt this, that no other orna- 
ment was ever worn with greater pleasure than the one 
set with glass rubies, entwined as it was with the mem- 
ories of her childhood days, so full of innocent, care- 
free happiness. 

Chapter X. 

THOU SHALT NOT COVET. 

You may think, dear children, now that Caroline was 
restored to confidence and favor with beautiful and 
valuable pearls to wear, the children were all happy 
again. They were, for a while, rejoicing with her. 
Nevertheless, our life, our best life, does not consist in 
owning beautiful things. And Caroline soon felt that 
the pearl necklace did not make her as happy as she 
expected. 

In a short time Dora received the ruby pin, and it 


44 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


pleased her childish fancy, but her pleasure became less 
when she found out that Agnes Thinkill was saying: 
“She did not see why Mrs. Hopkins could not have 
divided out and given the rest of them girls some of 
the jewels; goodness knows, there were enough.” 

And she kept teasing Dora to lend her the ruby pin, 
and as Dora would not consent, she said unkind things 
about her. 

Evangeline had such a serene disposition, and God’s 
peace within, she cared nothing about the jewels, but 
she noticed that Bessie’s face wore a cloud. And Evan- 
geline invited her for a walk, and while they were 
seated on a large rock by the brook she asked her what 
was the matter. Bessie did not like to tell her, but 
confessed: 

“It seems hard that Caroline forgot me altogether 
when God answered our prayer and made all things 
come right. It is not that I care so much for the present, 
but Caroline never has seemed to love me as well as 
she does Dora. I think after I tried to comfort and 
help her she ought to love me more in return.” 

Evangeline saw that Bessie was not entirely in the 
wrong, and tried to soothe her. 

“My dear, Caroline is so impulsive and Dora brought 
the good news to her. We cannot tell why we love some 
friends so much better than others. You have always 
seemed nearer to me than the other girls, yet I try not 
to show partiality. 

“Still, Satan is tempting you to be sad. Do you not 
remember how sad King Ahab was when he could not 
get Naboth to sell him his vineyard? He let it make 
him very unhappy, even turned his face to the wall 
and would not eat, he was pouting so?” 

“But I do not care so much for the pin, the present; 




THE SEVEN WHEELS 45 

it hurts me to see that Caroline does not love me as I 
do her.” Here Bessie shed a few tears. 

“Bessie,” said Evangeline, “I used to think when God 
gave us the tenth commandment He only meant we 
should not covet things seen with the natural eye. But 
I begin to think He does not want you to covet Caroline’s 
friendship so much as to be unhappy without it. It is 
just as wrong to set our hearts on anything else that 
God has not given us. Instead of grieving because Caro- 
line loves Dora the best, why not try to love Agnes, 
whom nobody notices very much. She is unhappy be- 
cause she wants the necklace and pin. You might be 
able to prove to her that love is the best gift (I Cor. xiii), 
and God has told us to covet earnestly the best things. 
Above all, think of the great love of Jesus — do you ever 
forget Him? Or do you try to win His approving 
smile? Oh, Bessie, His love is worth more than all 
the world can give, and He never changes, but is the 
same yesterday, today, and forever.” 

After a while Bessie said: “I don’t like to go about 
Agnes, but I will go to see her, anyway, and try to be 
her friend, as she needs me more.” 

The two then prayed together and when they parted 
sunshine was beaming from Bessie’s face as she resolved 
following Jesus to visit poor Agnes Thinkill. Why 
poor? She had no friends outside her home. Worse 
still, she was poor in faith and a stranger to Jesus and 
His grace, and was in need of Christian friendship just 
now more than ever, for she had done something mean. 

You remember, Caroline was prettier than most girls 
and loved pretty things to set off her natural beauty. 
So she adorned herself with the costly pearls on Sunday 
and, although only fourteen years of life were hers, 
she felt that the handsome necklace lifted her out of 


46 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


childhood into young-ladyhood. She would not look 
at Agnes, for she had been told the things she had said 
about her. 

When Dora would not lend her the pin Agnes man- 
aged to make friends with Caroline, and soon after, with 
a winning smile, asked for the loan of the necklace. 
She was going to a party and her “feller” would be 
there. Agnes was only fifteen and ought to have been 
taught better than to have her head full of fellows. 
Like felloes in a wheel, they have their place, but it 
should not be in childhood days. 

Caroline did not want to trust Agnes with the pearls, 
so she kindly told her that she wanted to wear them 
herself, which was true, for the girl came very near 
wearing them all the time, day and night. However, 
Agnes wanted to set off her good looks also and con- 
tinued to tease for them, until Caroline firmly said she 
would not lend them. Then Agnes got mad and did 
something spiteful. 

Now, dear children, whatever you do, never do any- 
thing for spite. Ever be too noble for that. A mean 
act harms the doer more than the one it is done to. 

What Agnes did was this: Her father kept a drug 
store, and she discovered that a certain liquid would 
stain. As she said Caroline was so selfish she would 
not lend the pearls to her, she would fix them so Caro- 
line would not be quite so proud of them. She invited 
herself to stay overnight with her, and while Caroline 
was asleep, poured a few drops of the fluid on some 
of them, leaving ugly stains. Now, thought Agnes, she 
will not be so precious of them. 

Caroline was very much hurt to find the pearls with 
their beauty marred. She knew that Agnes was the 
cause, for the bottle was corked, which would not have 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


47 


been the case had the liquid run over them by accident. 

Agnes was already gone when she discovered it, and 
oh, how she did cry! Caroline was right in not lending 
her pearls, but when she found Agnes coveted them she 
should have talked to her and made her see how wrong 
it is to want anything that is your neighbor’s. She 
might have ceased wearing them where Agnes could 
see them. 

She went to tell Evangeline about it, as they usually 
did when anything went wrong. Evangeline was very 
sorry to see the beauty of the pearls spoiled by sin. 
She tenderly consoled Caroline, telling her she felt more 
sorry for Agnes, with the blight of a spiteful deed on 
her soul, than she did for her, since the pearls were 
not necessary to her happiness. She ended by showing 
Caroline the verse in the Bible which teaches us “Not 
to adorn ourselves with pearls and costly array, but 
with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit and good 
works.” Evangeline also prayed with her, and when 
Caroline left the light of new thoughts were in her 
mind. 

Soon after the yearly revival meeting took place, 
which they all attended, Caroline became a seeker for 
the Friend above all others the Best. She found as 
Georgie, whose idol was dress, that she must put away 
the pearls for the beauty of Holiness. She would not 
wear anything that might lead others to have envious 
feelings and make them sin as Agnes had. 

Then Caroline, too, was saved, and her natural beauty 
was glorified by the Heavenly beauty which came by 
being born of the Spirit. 

What did she do with the lovely pearl necklace? She 
took counsel with the Nobleman. He pointed to the 


48 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


East, where a nation, sitting in darkness, was looking 
and longing for light. 

“But your offering must be without blemish,” said He. 

In the corner of the old castle he found a vase filled 
with something red. Pouring a few drops on the pearls 
they were restored and made even more beautiful than 
before. It was called the Blood of Christ. And Caro- 
line persuaded Mrs. Hopkins to buy the pearls and 
keep them only to remind her of the pearly gates of 
Heaven and her dear young friend who was now on 
her way to the Heavenly City. 

Mrs. Hopkins had just sold some diamonds for a 
princely sum, so she told Caroline to accept a present 
to have her voice trained later on, and gave the price 
of the pearls, one hundred dollars, to her for missions. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


49 


Chapter XL 

THE NEW COMMANDMENT. 

As Bessie wended her way toward the home of Agnes 
she went through the garden, musing on the verse she 
had learned that morning from a little book, called 
Daily Bread, which Evangeline had given her. 

The verse was: “A new commandment I give unto you 
that ye love one another.” 

‘Tt will be a new thing for me to love Agnes after 
the way she has talked and done,” mused she, but then 
another verse whispered to her heart, “We are taught 
of God to love one another.” So she just knelt and 
asked God to show her how to love Agnes. 

Kneeling among the flowers, she gathered fragrant 
pinks and lilies to take to this girl. She found her 
ironing a dress and thought there was a meaner expres- 
sion on her face than she had ever seen there before. 
It was truly so, for mean deeds as well as thoughts 
write themselves on the face. 

But when Bessie spoke pleasantly to her, offering 
the flowers, her expression changed to a look of sur- 
prise. And she noticed for the first time that Agnes 
had pretty eyes. They were bright and softened by 
this unexpected kindness. 

Just then a queer voice called out: “What did you 
come here for?” and she saw a big blackbird sitting on 
a beam overhead. It was a magpie, and Bessie could 
not help laughing. She saw that Agnes was very fond 
of it and had taught it many amusing sayings. 

Bessie spent the evening with her, and although Agnes 
said things Bessie could not enjoy, there were, she found, 
some ways she really liked in Agnes. Before leaving 
she asked Agnes to go to meeting with her that night, 
wearing the flowers, but she answered: 


50 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


“I don’t want to go to no meetin’ and see a lot of 
hypercrites ! ” 

Bessie tried to prove to her that many good people 
were there and perhaps she would not find a single hypo- 
crite. Agnes, however, refused to go that time, but the 
next night she came. 

And before long she was convinced by God’s holy 
Spirit that she had a very wicked heart and could never 
go to Heaven unless God changed it. She had never 
before really understood that she needed help from the 
Savior. So she went to see Bessie, in great trouble of 
mind. Bessie prayed with her and tried to teach her 
the goodness of God to sinners. 

Agnes acknowledged she had tried to spoil the pearl 
necklace, which confession, without the grace of God, 
would never have been made by her. The next time 
she went to meeting she asked Caroline to forgive her. 
Afterward she as converted so plainly that no one could 
doubt it. The whole expression of her face was changed, 
and now beamed with the light of Jesus’ love. She 
soon decided to go as a missionary to China, and the 
money from the sale of the pearls was given her by 
Caroline to send her over there to study the language 
until she was sixteen, when she would be prepared to 
teach the natives the way of salvation. 

Did Bessie find it hard to love Agnes then? You 
should have seen the beautiful friendship between them. 
And Agnes showed such a lovely spirit toward all the 
girls that many tears were shed when she went aboard 
the ship to sail for foreign lands. 

Agnes gave Bessie the magpie, which afforded her 
more pleasure than to own the prettiest piece of jewelry 
found in the secret drawer. 

James, too, became a seeker for salvation, but was 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


51 




a long time getting faith to be saved. What kept him 
back so long, he told the seven the next time they were 
in the tree. 

“When I began to pray in earnest, God told me I must 
be a preacher. That was the last thing I wanted to be. 
You know, I always had an ambition to be a great scholar 
and I wished to make some great discovery in science 
for the benefit of the world. But I could not be saved 
until I said, “Eli be what you want me to be, dear 
Lord.” So just then I made the discovery of Jesus 
and His great love, and from now on my work shall be 
to proclaim this discovery to the world around.” 

A wave of joy passed from one child to another and 
they sang, “Joy Is Flowing Like a River.” Then Gerald 
said: 

“The Nobleman persuaded me to go to a meeting 
last year and I got right with God and found peace in 
believing.” 

Maxwell said: “Perhaps if I had not stayed away 
from the dance that Friday night, I might still have been 
living for this present evil world. But I surrendered 
to Jesus because Evangeline’s song moved me to decide.” 

Caroline spoke next. 

“When I gave the pearl necklace to God, because 
it was right to do so. He gave me the pearl of great 
price.” 

And they all saw that the beauty of her face, with the 
inward pearl shining through, was far greater than it 
ever had been when she wore the pearls, a costly array. 

Said Evangeline: “My conversion was like the open- 
ing of the rosebud. You know when it is a bud, and 
you know when it is a flower, but the change is so 
gradual you can hardly tell when it takes place. And 
one day I knew that Jesus was The Rose in my heart.” 


52 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Then Bessie spoke: “That sad winter when mother 
died and my sin made me heavy laden, I found one day 
the burden was lifted and knew that Jesus was mine.” 

It was Dora now: 

“When the preacher told about the many snares and 
pitfalls in this world, especially for the young, I thought 
‘How can a child like me do without the great Shep- 
herd?’ so I just asked Jesus to take me and keep me, 
and I know He did, for God’s Holy Spirit said so in 
my heart.” 

James was the first to break the silence while he 
watched the sunshine shimmering in Evangeline’s hair. 

“Let us never be parted from each other, even when 
we are grown-ups. Let us pray for each other every 
day and always write to each other wherever we are. 
Our loving thoughts will keep us from being separated.” 

Caroline looked at Bessie. 

“We will be too busy winning others to want our 
wheels any more,” she said. 

“We will be the wheels,” said Evangeline. “Our 
hearts like the pearly hubs, the jewel cups at the rim 
our Christian graces. And we will make shining tracks 
as we move in our lives to show others the way.” 

Gerald suddenly made a wheel of himself by turning 
over and over on hands and feet and rolling away. 

Dora could not imitate him exactly, but holding her 
arms close to her she made a kind of rolling pin of 
herself and rolled over and over until caught by some 
wild roses she looked the picture of innocent happiness. 

The others gazed at her with silent admiration. 

As they took the homeward road they sang “We’ll 
Never Say Goodbye in Heaven,” and the walls of the 
Nobleman’s castle echoed back the sweet words of 
promise, “We’ll never say goodbye.” 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


53 


PART 11. 

THE TRACKS THEY MADE. 

Chapter I. 

OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN. 

After James resolved to be a preacher he had a con- 
fidential talk with his mother, for since his father’s death 
his heart seemed wholly hers. 

“But, my boy,” she said, “to be a preacher requires 
more than just to go out with your Bible to talk and 
pray with sinners. You should go to school to study 
for it, pass your examinations and be ordained; so you 
can baptize, perform the marriage service and give the 
Lord’s Supper. I must make the sacrifice, selling some- 
thing to send you to the Holiness College. You will 
need, however, many extras. Could you not earn some 
money some way?” 

James thought for a moment. 

“There are many strawberries and blackberries on 
the mountains, but it would take a long time to gather 
them by myself.” 

He was getting his things together, basket, gloves and 
big straw hat, when Dora came in. When she learned 
his plans she clapped her hands and said: 

“How nice it would be for us all to go with you!” 

So they all went together and were soon hard at 
work on the shady side of the mountain, Caroline near 
Max, a short distance from the rest, was singing, talking 
by turns and laughing at Max for his slow, methodical 
way of picking; she leisurely putting one in the basket 
and the next in her rosy mouth. 

“Caroline and Max will do for the hind wheels of 
the buggy, for they will always run together, but Max- 


54 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


well never will be stirring enough for a front wheel,” 
observed Gerald, with his dry fun. 

“But there are seven of us,” said Bessie. “What will 
you do about that odd wheel?” 

“Dora will even us up some day,” answered Gerald, 
and the others smiled at the look of surprise and wonder 
on Dora’s pretty face, she was such a perfect child. 
After months went by, they thought of Gerald’s remark 
and it seemed like a prophecy. 

While they were picking, James working eagerly, also 
got away from the rest. About eleven o’clock a man 
came around the side of the mountain with a pail and 
picked near James. He was a rough-looking fellow of 
the whiskey and tobacco sort. 

“Huh!” said he, “you looked like a preacher to me 
at first and I thought of going further off to pick, but 
I see you are nothing but a kid.” 

“And why were you afraid of me?” asked James. 

“Oh, I thought I might get to cussin’ while I was 
talking to you and you would make me ashamed.” 

James took this for an opening for some personal 
work. A half hour passed and he saw the man was 
touched by his earnest words about Jesus and His power 
to save. The man ended by offering to get together a 
crowd of sinners like himself if James would preach to 
them. Luckily he had his Testament in his pocket and 
the appointment was made for the cool of the evening. 
The man showed him a spring of deliciously cool water 
under the shade of a fine tree, where they could eat 
their dinner. 

James could not eat much. It would be his first ser- 
mon. He wanted to be alone, so he went back after 
(Caroline’s guitar. 

It was indeed a rough-looking set of men, women and 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


55 


children who gathered on the mountain side and James 
took the text, ‘‘Our Father, who art in Heaven.” There 
was a touching pathos in his voice as he told of “Our 
Father’s great love for sinners,” illustrating it by the 
story of the prodigal son. He was thinking partly of 
his own father, now in Heaven. He knew by experience 
the tenderness of a loving father. It was easy to make 
others feel wEat he himself felt so deeply. He asked 
for the hymn, “God is Calling the Prodigal.” 

The sweet voices of the children, all of them in God’s 
kingdom, children by grace, led by Evangeline’s silvery 
soprano while Caroline sang alto, playing her guitar, 
their young hearts moved by the Spirit of God to make 
melody. Surely sweeter music and song was never 
before heard on mountain side or elsewhere. 

The man James had first seen came forward, fell on 
his knees and said he would never leave until God had 
forgiven him. 

The children gathered around him, forgetting every- 
thing but the need of this lost soul. Earnestly praying, 
before long the man arose, rejoicing in a Savior’s love. 

Oh, how they did sing one hymn after another! How 
eagerly after the closing did the men crowd around the 
boy preacher, asking him to come again. 

A great revival broke out on the mountain side; they 
held services all summer, and while gathering berries 
they were bringing in a harvest of souls for the Re- 
deemer’s Harvest Home. 


56 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Chapter H. 

HALLOWED BE THY NAME. 

“And the blessings that hallow our days,” sang Evan- 
geline in those happy berrying times, and rest chimed 
in on the chorus. Their songs made the mountain side 
ring and rejoice. The names most holy were indeed 
hallowed by them, for they sang praises out of hearts 
full of the joy of the Lord. 

Every noon the seven prayed together for the unsaved, 
every evening held a service of song and prayer, and 
then James opened the Scriptures to them. It was a 
time they all loved to recall in after years — it was so 
care-free, so full of joy to each one, for were they not 
winning others into the kingdom of Heaven? And is 
not that the highest joy here? 

A little later Robert Haycent joined them. He came 
to see his aunt, and hearing where the children were, 
soon appeared among them. He brought a change in 
their enjoyment, as he had many interesting stories of 
his travels to relate, being a drummer for a rich firm. 
He had traveled to many places from the West Indies 
and now showed them the curiosities in his traveling 
satchel; vegetable ivory from the valley of the Amazon 
River, a little dress woven from the fiber of the cocoa 
palm which was dyed from the different woods grow- 
ing there and woven in various colors, also shell fish 
shaped like stars. 

Wonderful were the stories he told of his adventures 
and sightseeing in many lands. But one thing marred 
the pleasure of his stories afforded. He often used 
the named so sacred in a manner most careless and 
disrespectful. 

Caroline was the first to correct him, while her eyes 
flashed with indignation. “You speak the name of God 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


57 


as if you were His superior and even make a football 
of His name.” 

Evangeline then gently said: 

“We must honor the name of God by walking in the 
straight and narrow way. We also take His name in 
vain when we walk in the byways of sin.” 

“I would not do that,” said Caroline, “no byways for 
me, for I will always love Him too much,” turning it off 
into a song, “I am glad I have counted the cost!” 

But Rob, so far from mending his ways after her re- 
proof, grew a little worse. At last Dora managed one 
day when they were off to themselves to call attention to 
the fact that many people, himself included, were very 
proper and polite in their way of mentioning the names 
of their friend and neighbors. 

“Oh, yes, kings and queens have to be called ‘Your 
Majesty’ and ‘Your Grace.’ We must be respectful to 
royalty,” answered Rob, “and speak of others with 
respect.” 

They had gone to the spring for water and she was 
showing him the Lord’s Prayer engraved in the silver 
of her drinking cup. 

“Do you know that prayer?” asked she. 

“Yes, I used to say it every night, but I am too busy 
to think of it now.” 

“Do you know what ‘hallowed be thy name’ means?” 

No, he did not exactly understand it. Dora then ex- 
plained how hallowed means set apart or made holy. 
And God has set apart His name for the holy uses of 
prayer and praise. How we ought to remember that 
God is the king of kings and to reverence His name 
too much to speak it lightly. And we would not if we 
honored Him in our thoughts.” 

“If you loved Him, Rob, you would be afraid to dis- 
please Him and lose His love.” 


58 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


The boy confessed he had never understood it so 
before. It was his only bad habit, taken up from those 
about Him, in his early childhood. 

From that on Robert tried to break himself of this 
wicked habit and often checked himself before the irrev- 
erent word was spoken. James preached after this on 
the story of Uzziah, who committed sacrilege by touching 
the holy ark of God and was punished with the dreadful 
disease of leprosy. 

Robert admired James and grew very fond of him. 
When he started to school he made him a present of 
all the books he needed. 

The rough men and women of the mountain ceased 
to use profane words before James and the other chil- 
dren and became more careful at home. 

Children, we should likewise want to have a good 
influence and be like the odorous flowers’s Holy frag- 
rance around us, luring others in the way. 

When the berry season was over and the last service 
held there were tears on the rough faces of the moun- 
taineers as they bade the children goodbye. Many kind 
wishes were expressed and the men insisted on giving 
James of their hard-earned money to help out his school 
fund. Although he was unwilling to take this unexpected 
contribution, yet, seeing their eagerness to help him, 
he accepted it with grateful thanks. 

Chapter HI. 

THY KINGDOM COME. 

It was with a shade of sadness the children gathered 
in their Talking Tree, for they knew not when they 
would all be climbing into its branches again. On the 
morrow James was to leave for the Holiness College- 
Greenville, Texas. In his trunk were many little things 
the others had given him for keepsakes. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


59 




Gerald and Maxwell were going to the Ball High 
School. Mrs. Hopkins had a twin sister there. Caroline 
was to stay with her, helping her nights and mornings, 
and the boys were to pay their board. Dora was going 
with them to Galveston to bathe in the surf for a week 
or so. Not that she was frail. On the contrary, she 
was the picture of robust health. But she would enjoy 
the change before taking up her round of duties with 
Mrs. Adela Hopkins, as she was intending to take Caro- 
line’s place with that lady until she was ready to travel 
with her husband. 

So Evangeline and Bessie were the only ones left at 
home, for Rob was on his way back to the West Indies. 
James gave them a beautiful talk in the tree on “Thy 
Kingdom Come.” They were all attentive listeners, but 
there was one into whose heart the message sank deep. 
This was Dora, the happy-go-lucky child who had never 
seemed to think seriously but once before. 

What James said was this: “When we pray for His 
kingdom to come we must answer our own prayers by 
doing something to make it come.” To every one God 
gives a mission to help bring His kingdom into the 
world. 

So Dora laid awake that night for some time think- 
ing what her mission could be. James was called to 
preach to a dying world, and was preparing himself by 
study and constant prayer and practice. Agnes had 
found her mission in China, and from her letters to 
Bessie was working her best and happy in it. Her 
teacher in Sunday School had told her “God would 
reveal her mission to her in little and unexpected ways.” 
But this did not satisfy Dora. 

The next day she was diverted from these anxious 
thoughts by getting on the train with her cheerful com- 
panions. They were soon in Galveston, and the first few 


60 


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days passed with pleasure, bathing amid the white- 
capped waves, gathering shells on the Denver Beach to 
send to Evangeline and Bessie, and in other ways having 
wonderfully good times. Gerald wrote to Bessie, asking 
her if she liked pickles, for he certainly thought he would 
be one, bathing so often in the briny surf. 

And, ever mindful of Evangeline, he sent here these 
lines in a letter, as he was fond of expressing himself 
in verse: 

GALVESTON. 

Entrenched by sea, with seawall strong, 

Pearl of the South, Galveston sits; 

O’er shining bay the whole day long 
White breast upturned, the sea gull flits. 

Her flowery streets so purely kept. 

All planned in order’s symmetry; 

No hero there has died unwept. 

Unhearing sea’s wild minstrelsy. 

The tide comes in, the white-capped waves 
To many health and pleasure bring; 

But many found their seaweed graves 
And only waves their requiem sing. 

As if from Heaven sea breezes blow. 

Bring life and fainting forms revive. 

The white-sailed ships now come, now go. 

From foreign parts they here arrive. 

When Jesus spake His “Peace, be still,” 

The stormy waves obeyed Him well; 

Thus may our hearts obey His will 
And praises with thy waters swell. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


61 




Hail City, hail! whose courage strong 
From dire disaster rose again; 

And last thy mission endless long 
To harbor ships that cross the main. 

Dora one evening told the rest she was going out to 
find fairies, to see if she could learn from them her 
mission. She had her Bible, and they knew she meant 
to seek first the Only One. Gerald was buried in a 
book then and although he heard her say she was going, 
did not stop to reflect upon it. When Dora gained the 
door she looked back, smiled and said “goodbye.” 

How often in those passing days with heartfelt sigh 
Did they think of Dora’s parting smile and “goodbye.” 

Maxwell called after her: “Be sure to get back in 
an hour, for we are going to the beach to bathe.” Dora’s 
faint “yes” came back and she was gone. 

After an hour and a half Gerald dropped his book, 
looked at his watch and said: 

“She had better hurry up; it’s time to go.” 

Caroline began a lively chat and while joking and 
laughing, another hour slipped away. Gerald got up 
impatiently and went out. He did not come back until 
about sundown and they saw his face was white and 
drawn. The answering alarm in their faces showed him 
they also knew nothing of Dora. 

“I cannot find her,” he said with a choking voice. 
They all went and telephoned to everyone they knew. 
They roused the police But why dwell on what fol- 

lowed? As in the story of Ginevra: 

“They sought her that night, they sought her next day, 
They sought her in vain when a week passed away; 

In the highest, the lowest, the loneliest spot. 

They all sought her wildly, but found her not.” 


62 


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One of those days, Caroline, after crying till all the 
red was washed out of her cheeks into her eyes and 
nose, took a walk down to the wharves. She thought of 
how Dora, when only four years old, had an affectionate 
way of saying “goodbye” if she were only going into 
the next room for a few moments. Dora had a fairy 
godmother, and now Caroline could almost believe 
the fairies had made her invisible and carried her away 
without leaving a trace. 

Just then she saw something like a little flag flying 
from a post on the wharf. Coming closer, she saw it 
was Dora’s ribbon — was it, certainly? Yes, for there 
was the spot of ink on one end. Gerald had joggled 
her elbow that morning as she was writing to James, 
the ink had fallen on the ribbon, making a blot. How 
plainly it brought back Dora’s face, pouting her lip at 
first and then smiling when he promised her a new one. 
Bu, it was only her ribbon fluttering in the breeze. She 
took it to the others and it gave them one ray of hope. 
That last evening she had gone to the quieter bay and 
not to the fearsome gulf. 

Chapter IV. 

THY WILL BE DONE. 

It was Evangeline who had to break the sad news to 
Dora’s mother, and she found her mission in keeping a 
mother’s heart from breaking. After the first wild burst 
of grief was over, Evangeline tearfully showed her the 
ribbon and tried to help her to bear it. 

It was the hardest task she ever tried to do, because 
Dora’s mother was not a child of God, and in this, her 
time of utmost need, she did not know how to lean on 
the love of Jesus. She had apparently lived a good 
life, but too much for this world, idolizing Dora, her 
only child. 

Evangeline told her how Dora had become a Chris- 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


63 


tian in the highest sense of the world, that she had 
spoken of trusting the Good Shepherd to lead her through 
the many snares and pitfalls of this world. And who 
had ever trusted in Jesus and been forsaken? 

If Dora was taken, as they feared, she went straight 
to Heaven, for she had been born of the Spirit and 
Heaven was her place. A beautiful mansion was hers 
and bright angels attended her as she followed in the 
train of King Emanuel. Perhaps Dora was alive some- 
where; then the Good Shepherd in whom she confided 
would protect her and, in answer to their many prayers, 
bring her back to them. 

But Mrs. Haygood could not say “Thy will be done” 
at first and had it not been for Evangeline she would 
have sunk under the burden of her grief. Her health 
was giving way when a month passed and not a word 
from Dora. That she had been taken to Heaven seemed 
almost certain in the minds of the six who missed her 
from their band. 

For had she not promised this with the rest? To 
write to each other, every week if convenient, when they 
were separated, but never to let a month pass without 
writing to each one of the band. Every month James 
wrote a letter to each of the six and Bessie and Evan- 
geline, although only a few miles apart, did the same. 
All of them wrote to Rob at least once a month, but 
never a line from Dora. Dora must have written had 
she been alive, for she was ever true to her word. 

Evangeline went to see Mrs. Haywood every day, 
sometimes in the morning and often at night. She always 
brought flowers from the Nobleman’s garden, arranging 
them in different ways. Once it was a lovely rose in a 
delicate vase on the bureau. Next time a pitcher was 
placed in the window with a bouquet of well-chosen 
colors. As Evangeline was artistic, the flowers were 


64 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


arranged so their colors harmonized. A rose and a lily 
in a slender vase, blue cornflowers with yellow cow- 
slips in a glass bowl invited the fairies to come. Another 
combination which Mrs. Haygood love was red carna- 
tions with a background of green leaves brightened with 
a little spray of goldenrod. 

The Nobleman also sent her delicious fruit in season. 
When one is in grief something good to eat is a great 
comfort by diverting the mind. 

Evangeline read beautiful books to her, first of all 
the Bible. Sometimes when she saw the look of agony 
in Mrs. Haygood’s eyes she would put her arms around 
her and sing, one after another, the most soothing hymns 
she could think of. She read to her all the letters of 
the absent ones, but, alas, there were none to read from 
Dora. She persuaded her to walk with her in the Noble- 
man’s garden. Often they played her favorite game of 
chess, but her mind was far away. She prayed with 
her and pointed her to Jesus, who was a man of sorrows 
and acquainted with her grief. And how the Angel of 
His Presence saves us. 

Evangeline often went home sadly thinking she had 
not comforted her, for all she tried so hard. But 
although Evangeline did not know it, every time Mrs. 
Haygood saw that sunny head coming in at the door 
she felt her burden lifted. 

And although Evangeline did not know it, Mrs. Hay- 
good was blindly and through falling tears seeking to 
get hold of the hand of Jesus, who saved Peter from 
sinking. 

Once her grief was aroused more than ever at the 
sight of one of Dora’s old slippers which she had play- 
fully kicked off one day the summer before, and it 
seemed like Evangeline could never quiet her. 

When she saw peace coming at last on the sad, pale 


I 






I can do it for Jesus, and I will do it for you.” 




I 





THE SEVEN WHEELS 


65 


face, Evangeline left, going the path which led to the 
garden, the whole burden of her grief resting on her 
young heart. Hastening to that solitary place where 
she had so often comforted others, she gave way to 
such a passion of sobs and tears as no one would have 
thought the gentle Evangeline capable of. Finally 
Nature befriended her and she fell asleep. 

The Nobleman passed by, and laying his hand on 
her forehead, where the golden hair drooped, wiped away 
the tears yet clinging to her cheeks, and she had a beauti- 
ful dream. 

Dreaming she saw Dora sailing in a boat, water lilies, 
white, snowy and fragrant, wer eall around her in the 
boat, and outside lillies of the valley so white against 
her dark hair wreathed her head, and again she was 
framed with flowers, looking up and smiling. Not with 
the former childish glee, but with a high and Heaven- 
born resolve. 

‘T can do it for you, Jesus, and I will do it for you!” 
she murmured. And then the boat seemed to grow into 
a stately ship, hiding her from view. Evangeline re- 
turned with joy to tell Mrs. Haygood this dream. 

‘T know,” she said, “that Dora lives and has found 
the mission.” 

Somehow the mother received Evangeline’s faith and 
from that day began to take interest in the affairs of 
her household. She became reconciled to God’s will 
and sought more earnestly the Savior of her child, until 
she found Him. 

When Bessie came and was told the dream she re- 
joiced, too, and in a few days returned to Evangeline, 
saying she must leave her for Galveston. She was going 
to try to find Dora. 

“Dear Evangeline,” she said, “I believe the clue to 




66 


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finding her will be found among the boats.” She had 
a plan, but she would not tell it even to Evangeline. 

Chapter V. 

“GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.” 

The plan Bessie had was this: The Sunday she sold 
fruit at the picnic she found that she sold more that 
day than any of the other girls. She seemed to have 
a gift for selling, so now she thought of this plan. She 
would sell bread on board the boats in the harbor and 
see if her customers knew anything of Dora. 

Picture, dear children, the slender form of Bessie 
moving sedately toward the wharf, clad in a blue serge, 
with a crochet cap whose imitation roses gave a charm 
to the pensive face, looking pure and earnest, reminding 
one of the Puritan maiden, Priscilla, while she offered 
bread to those sailing on the bay. It had been arranged 
that she should room with Caroline, her expenses being 
paid by Mrs. Northwood. Her only work was to go 
to the wharf every day excepting Sunday to sell bread 
and make inquiries. With the buoyancy of youth she 
set forth, the nice loaves of home-made bread piled in 
a large wicker basket, and by evening all was sold out. 

She had time also for recreation, going with the 
others to bathe in the gulf. And that great expanse of 
water made her think of the boundless, the infinite love 
of God, for all. 

One bleak day she saw a woman standing by the pier 
looking very sad. Offering the bread to her, the woman 
shook her head, while the tears came into her eyes.. She 
told Bessie she had lately lost her husband and was 
trying to get work to support three small children. 
Bessie gave her several loaves and told her to be there 
a certain hour every day to receive her daily bread. 

Many people became interested in Bessie as she passed 
so regularly. They gave her flowers, which she placed 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


67 


in small bouquets among the bread, selling some and 
sending others as messengers of love to the sick and 
sorrowing. She was a favorite on board and made many 
inquiries. But no one for some time gave her any 
information about Dora. Every day, when Caroline 
heard her light step returning, she would ask, either 
by words or by her eyes, whether she knew anything of 
Dora. And Bessie shook her head sadly. 

Even Evangeline lost hope of her being found as 
months passed away and no news from any quarter. 
She remembered Gerald saying that Dora would even 
them up. Was it possible that God had evened their 
number by taking Dora to Heaven? And she remem- 
bered that the ship seemed to go skyward. 

Day after day flew by until the last day of December 
dawned cold and dreary. Bessie was almost persuaded 
to stay at home, but finally went. 

A large ship came into harbor, different from any 
she had seen before. Its flag was red, white and green, 
and on the front large letters spelled “El Mundo.” She 
soon discovered they spoke a strange language she could 
not understand, but rightly guessed to be Spanish. They 
told her they would buy bread by their expressive ges- 
tures. 

At last she came to a peddler who was showing his 
box of trinkets while he talked broken English. As he 
bought bread she noticed all at once among the pretty 
pins one she thought was Dora’s. She asked him to 
hand it to her and, turning it over, there were the letters 
D. H ., as Robert had marked them. With eagerness she 
asked him how he came by the pin. 

“Ah, pretty leetle Mees she trade for ze white dove 
pin like zis.” 

Oh, thought Bessie, here eyes on the pin, Dora wanted 


68 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


to let us know she was on this ship, else she would 
never have traded off that pin. 

She asked him the price of it, but the cunning peddler 
demanded more for it than she had in her purse. 

There was a rich banker near by who, seeing Bessie 
pass so often, asked her one day why she went to the 
wharf. On hearing her sad story he promised if money 
would help her she should have all she needed. Bessie 
almost flew to the bank, passing the widow, she aston- 
ished her by placing the well-filled basket in her hands 
and then fleeting on like a deer. But she stopped first 
at a telegraph office and sent two messages. The first 
to Dora’s mother with these words: “Clue found! Dora 
may be living!” 

The other was only one word, to Robert Haycent: 
“Come.” 

He had told her to send him word immediately if a 
clue were found. The banker paid for the pin and Rob 
came the next day. He pinned it on his necktie, saying: 

“I will seek the owner of this pin, while I have life, 
until I find her.” 

With hope in her heart Bessie saw him embark on 
the ship, El Mundo, and stood waving her handkerchief, 
watching until it was lost from view. 

Chapter VI. 

AND FORGIVE US OUR SINS. 

The teacher of painting in the Ball High School dis- 
covered in Maxwell something none of his friends at 
home had found out. He found talent that could make 
him a great artist. He offered a prize to his class of 
eight boys, five dollars for the best original picture 
finished before Christmas. 

Maxwell chose for his subject Jesus healing the servant 
whose ear Peter had cut off with his sword. It was 
entitled THE UNSELFISH DEED, for as Maxwell had 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


69 


studied the Scripture, it was an act of disinterested 
kindness, for what could be more unselfish than the 
healing of an enemy in this hour of his own great need? 
It was a grand subject and to do Maxwell justice he gave 
it his truest work with fullest energy, making an original 
and life-like picture. 

No one excepting Gerald, who roomed with him, was 
allowed to see this picture before it appeared in the 
prize contest, and it was so beautiful he gazed on it 
entranced. 

More and more interested in this work, he had spared 
no labor, no sacrifice, and his only drawback was his 
set of colors, which were not the best. 

There was a boy rooming opposite him striving for 
the same prize. He had not half the gift of Max, but 
his colors were the finest money could buy, a present 
from a wealthy relative. It was an odd coincidence that 
the names of the two boys were very similar. Max’s 
full name was Maxwell Angelo Hamilton, the other 
boy’s Matthew Antony Hamilon, so their initials were 
both M. A. H. 

Their schoolmates, in a spirit of mischief, called 
them ma’s twins. Not that they looked so much alike, 
but at a distance their height and build justified the 
joke. The boys were fairly good friends, but somehow 
Max could not feel the greatest liking for him. 

The evening before they were to be exhibited Maxwell 
went to take a last good look at his picture, but what 
was his dismay to find the picture was gone. He at 
first thought someone had taken it away from its hiding 
place as a practical joke. Right here let me say that 
practical jokes ought not to be practiced. 

It was so late and he was so dazed by disappointment 
he knew not what to do, but next morning, coming into 
the room to view the pictures of the contestants, you 


70 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


may imagine his astonishment on seeing his picture there 
among the rest. Looking closely at it he saw that it 
was touched over with Matthew’s finer colors, and as 
their initials were the same, Matthew Hamilton had 
entered it as his own, leaving the initials as Maxwell 
had painted them, only adding a few touches with his 
own brush. 

At first Max felt like rushing up to claim his picture 
before everyone present. But something held him back. 
While working on this he had become filled with the 
nobleness of his subject and at that moment the unselfish 
spirit of the Master seemed to be his own. If I expose 
him he will be expelled from school and his mother is a 
widow, depending on him for her future support, he 
thought. 

Certainly, he could have proved his property, as Gerald 
told him, since under the examination of a magnifier it 
would plainly show that the last touches were with a 
finer color. Besides, all the class knew the difference 
between the paints they used. Gerald strengthened his 
resolution not to expose the boy. since he was also un- 
saved, and by kindness they might win him for Jesus. 

He had gained a great victory, but after the holidays, 
when practice work was going on and he had to use 
the same old paints, he could not forgive this boy who 
had stolen his chance for getting finer ones. 

Then Satan, seeing his advantage, tempted him sorely. 
Why, if Go d rea lly cared for what went on, did He let 
this take place, after all his hard work? And why did 
God permit Dora to get lost after she had believed and 
trusted the Good Shepherd? His unforgiving spirit 
shut God out, he did not pray as often and neglected 
reading his Bible. 

One day Caroline told him Mrs. Astor, a very religious 
lady whom she knew, did not think dancing wrong, and 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


71 


P} - 


the girl asked him if he would not take her to one at 
her house. He need not dance if he thought it was 
wrong. 

And Max did not want to refuse her, so he went and, 
contrary to his inward sense of right, gave way to tempta- 
tion and danced as much as any of them. Once the 
Rubicon was crossed he went to all the dances and it 
worked against his success in school, and he kept getting 
further and further away from God. 

He was unhappy because his conscience hurt him; 
he was almost sure he was not making the right track. 
About this time James wrote him a beautiful letter and 
he received one from Evangeline, too, which was very 
inspiring. Their love for God and joy in their Savior 
brought back faith to his heart. He broke off from 
dancing, prayed for forgiveness and grace to forgive 
and He whose grace is sufficient, enabled him to be 
kind to Matthew Hamilon. 

It came to him like a gleam of light that he would 
paint the same picture over again and try for a prize 
elsewhere. 

Gerald, touched by his fine resolution, bought for him, 
sacrificing his own plan for using the money, three costly 
colors, from which, by mixing, Maxwell had all the 
colors he needed, and could you have seen the picture 
when finished you would have believed two things. 

That his last picture was a wonderful improvement 
on the first, although the former took the prize, and 
that God makes all things work together for good to 
those who love Him. His teacher bought his last picture 
from him for ten dollars and hung it in his own room. 


72 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Chapter VII. 

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 

Are you wondering, dear children, why Caroline went 
back to the worldly amusement of dancing? You are 
more anxious, no doubt, to know where Dora was. But 
as no one seems to know, not even Rob, you must try 
to do as the old Scotchman said, “Bide a wee and 
dinna weary,” interesting yourself ih the tracks the others 
made. 

Caroline was truly a child of God, but she felt the 
influence of the worldly family with whom she was 
living. At first, when they urged her to go to dances, 
she refused, having no wish to share this pleasure of 
theirs. 

Her backsliding began in being so absorbed in her 
studies that she failed to pray and read her Bible as 
often as formerly. Those vocal lessons were her delight 
and although in grief about Dora, was oblivious to all 
else while singing with her teacher, whom she loved 
very dearly. 

It was strange, hut she even tempted Max to go back 
to the world, only since the days they climbed the Talk- 
ing Tree she had always shov/n Maxwell the pretty 
things that were given her. Mrs. White had presented 
her a fancy dress, much too fine and so unsuitable for 
a follower of Jesus, and she felt at first like telling her 
she. could not wear it. 

Caroline did not look like herself when dressed in 
the red silk with fine lace strewn around over it. The 
cheap pin Max had given her had to give place to costly 
jewels. But she was used to him as an escort and did 
not want to change company, so she persuaded him 
to go. Did she feel happy as she stood before the 
mirror? No, her heart was very sad, for she saw the 
pearl of great price was not shining through her face 
as before. The girls hurried her off and she was soon 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


73 


listening to the music they waltzed by, but it did not 
charm her. 

VTien people are tempted into the byways of sin God 
has many ways by which He tries to stop them. Her 
vocal teacher, young as herself and a sweet, true girl, 
had never danced, for she knew the best and purest 
lives cannot be lived while taking part in this amuse- 
ment. Her name was Evalina and her work was the 
art of teaching others to sing beautifully. And she 
was much interested in developing Caroline’s naturally 
fine voice. 

She had noticed of late that Caroline’s notes were 
becoming less true, her voice weaker, for the girl went 
every week, dancing most of the night and hardly think- 
ing of anything else. 

Evalina asked her one day if she had not been losing 
sleep, for that always impairs the voice. Caroline 
confessed she had been dancing, an her teacher tried 
hard to persuade her to give it up. 

If Caroline had sought the blessing of entire sancti- 
fication after having been regenerated it would have 
been easier for her to have regained the straight and 
narrow way, but she kept on going to dances although 
Bessie, who stood firm, prayed earnestly for her. 

One night after a dance while overheated Caroline 
was exposed suddenly to a storm of cold rain which 
caused her to have a severe attack of La Grippe with 
painful sore throat. For a week she suffered in bed 
and could hardly speak. 

She took out her neglected Bible and her eyes fell 
on the verse, “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth,” 
then decided to return, to follow Him who leadeth in 
paths of righteousness. 

She went to Church as soon as she could be out 
and heard the preacher say in his sermon: “It is bad 


74 


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enough to yield to temptation and injure ourselves, but 
the hottest fires of hell are for those who lead others 
astray.” She thought he was speaking directly to her. 
Had she not led Maxwell first and then Gerald into 
temptation and now they were losing ground in their 
studies and in the esteem of their teachers. She saw 
the pure, sweet face of Evalina when she begged her 
not to indulge in an amusement that was injuring her 
voice. 

And then she thought of Dora. Where was the lovely 
child, and she too sinful to help her with her prayers. 
It was at night when all these thoughts swept like waves 
over her troubled heart. Like Peter, she shed tears of 
bitter repentance and like him was forgiven. 

She also brought forth fruit meet for repentance, for 
soon after finding a poor girl without money to cultivate 
a good voice, she taught the lessons she had learned 
from Evalina to her. And ever as the regret came to 
her heart for tempting the boys, she thought of the 
lines Evangeline had sent her. 

Chapter VHI. 

“Forget it in love’s service and the debt 

Thou canst not pay the angels will forget.” 

BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 

Since Dora had disappeared Gerald moped around 
at recess and grieved all the time. He felt that he was 
to blame for allowing Dora to go off alone in a strange 
city. 

Had he not been so occupied by that book she might 
have been still with them. He had promised to take 
care of the girls, and now he had, as a careless sentinel, 
slept at his post. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


75 


The way Caroline had tempted him was this: 

She met him in the hall one day 
And unto him she this did say, 

All in her gay and winning way, 

“Won’t you come out with us to the dance? 

You mope and are growing thinner; 

But we will have a fine dinner; 

As you are already a sinner. 

Come out now and join in our prance.” 

It seemed so innocent the way she put it, so he 
stopped to think about it. Caroline had been converted 
since he and ought to have the latest light on the sub- 
ject. His mother had always allowed him to dance 
without objecting. The Nobleman told him not to, but 
still — Caroline smiled, beckoning, and — he went. 

They had wine with the refreshments, a glass at 
every plate. Gerald’s conscience told him not to touch 
it, for his grandfather died a drunkard and his own 
father drank. When Gerald was converted he decided 
never to taste intoxicants. His family physician said 
he had a weak heart owing to the intemperate habits of 
his forefathers; therefore should leave all stimulants 
alone. He was intending to obey his good angel, but 
looking up just then he saw a scornful smile on the face 
of a boy across the table. He hastily drank the wine 
and later on in the evening, with other boys, drank more 
and yet more. His spirits rose and he became very 
funny and was the life of his crowd. Once the barrier 
broken, down he went from bad to worse. But he found 
“the winding paths of sin a rugged road to travel in.” 

He read one day about Tom Moore, the poet who 
wrote that beautiful song, “Oft in the Stilly Night,” and 
how a joker said, “Yes, but he made the stilly night 




76 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


howl till daybreak,” and it made him think if a poet 
could drink and still write beautiful poetry it could not 
be very wrong to drink. He was mistaken. It is wrong 
to injure our wonderful bodies in any way, and in the 
physiologies studied in our schools the evil effects of 
alcoholic brinks are fully explained. 

As the months went by and nothing was heard from 
Dora, he went to all the dances and drank more and more 
to divert his thoughts. 

His mother knew nothing about it until during the 
Christmas holidays he was brought home one night dead 
drunk. He was now so ashamed and disgusted with 
himself he resolved to break off entirely. And did for 
a while, but alas! he leaned on his own strength; there- 
fore, on his return to school he was again overcome by 
his love of dancing and drink. 

His eyes inflamed and he did not look or act like 
the same boy. Caroline, now walking steadfastly in the 
narrow way, begged him, with tears in her eyes, to leave 
off, but her pleading seemed in vain. 

One night he cam.e home earlier from the dance be- 
cause of a girl he saw crying there. Her sister had 
there broken her vows to the Church for the first time. 
Gerald wondered why she was there at all, for he thought 
it was no place for a Christian. She had been led into 
temptation, like himself. Going near a mission he heard 
singing. It reminded him of Evangeline’s sweet voice. 
The words, “He is able to deliver thee,” made him feel 
there was hope even for him. Hurrying to his room 
he knelt to pray, but words would not come. 

Oh, if Evangeline were only there to comfort him. 
To give him her beautiful counsels. If the Nobleman 
would only come he could get right and, maybe, stay 
right. Just then he raised his head. The Nobleman 
was there — looking at him with a look at once tender 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


77 


and reproachful. Before that silent rebuke he would 
fain flee away to hide for very shame. 

But the tenderness in that look drew him with an 
everlasting love and he rushed to his embrace. Leaning 
his head against that strong arm he told all the sad 
story of his fall and struggles to get free from the thirst 
that was dragging him down to ruin. 

“Oh, sir,” he said, “I am not fit to die and yet I would 
rather die than to live as I am.” 

“My son,” said the Nobleman, “you have left the 
highway of life and have come very low,” and again 
His voice, like the sound of many waters as once to 
Maxwell, came with inexpressible comfort to Gerald. 
Yet he said: 

“I am so low I can never rise.” 

Then the Nobleman told him he had a Son, who was 
a great Physician and could cure him so he would never 
more want to take any drink that would harm him. 

“But I have no money to pay Him, I have wasted it 
all,” said poor Gerald, despairingly. 

“He does not want you to pay Him money. He heals 
freely without money and without price, hut He has 
work for you to do. If you had begun to work for 
Him the time you were turned perhaps you would never 
have left the King’s Highway.” 

Gerald went to see the Great Physician, who restored 
him to health and then led him to a street where boys 
and girls were growing up without instruction in right- 
eousness, learning everything bad and nothing good. 

Gerald gathered them into a small room every Sunday 
and taught them of Jesus’ love and how to follow His 
shining footprints. Christian made him superintendent 
and, full of sympathy for their bad habits, he watched 
over them, caring for their needs. And he went in and 


78 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


out among them, clothed with the* beautiful robe of 
humility which is so becoming to the young. 

Chapter IX. 

THINE IS THE KINGDOM. 

After Rob went on board, as the majestic ship moved 
out, he first tried to find the little peddler. He soon 
heard him talking in his odd, broken English. While 
looking at the jewelry he asked him about a lassie who 
had traded a pin set with rubies for one with a pearl 
dove on it. 

“Ah, si (yes), leetle Mees she tell me she want to 
leeve de sheep, but it no will not stop.” 

“Did she cry very much?” asked Rob. 

“Yes, she cry.velly much at firs, one, two, tree day, 
sabe? Then preety Mees not ver sad — she tell me 
’bout Good Shepher, Him SHE will take care of.” 

Rob could not help smiling at the way the poor fel- 
low said things the other way than he meant. But he 
understood “That the Good Shepherd would take care 
of HER,” and felt almost as if Dora had sent them the 
word. 

He learned also from the peddler that Dora had been 
taken by a Mexican woman, Dona Brijida, who claimed 
that she was placed in her care, and together they had 
crossed the gulf to the main seaport. 

When the ship landed at Vera Cruz Robert went 
ashore and entered the building where passengers regis- 
ter. In the book he read with joy Dora’s name written 
in her childish, painstaking hand. Under it was writ- 
ten Dona Brijida Guzman. Where they went he could 
not tell, but they had taken a train from this port. 

Rob looked up the main rooming places, making dili- 
gent inquiries at every one. All around the city and 
into the suburbs he went. Then took train to the cities 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


79 


of Tuxtla, Orizaba, Oaxaca and others, talking to the 
conductors on the trains. 

The scenery on the way was lovely and the fruits to 
he had for almost nothing, whose variety and flavor 
delighted the eater. It was in the belt of the Tierra 
Caliente, where vegetation was luxuriant. Fruits vied 
with each other, the delicious papaguayo, with the pine- 
apple, that kingly fruit, the dead sweet of the guava, 
with the lime and its many kinds. Besides three kinds 
of bananas, the largest a foot long, the smallest about 
four inches, the refreshing aguacates, also cocoanuts 
with their milk and juicy meat. 

Robert regaled himself with all these natural refresh- 
ments while enjoying the magnificent views of moun- 
tain scenery, and anxiously using every means for find- 
ing Dora. Oh, if she had only left a clue at Vera Cruz 
or a note! 

He found a friend in a captain of the Salvation Army, 
who promised to put Dora’s picture in the War Cry as 
soon as they sent him one, and offering to help him 
in every way possible. 

One day while going through a jungle his head began 
to ache severely. He had perhaps eaten too much fruit. 
He fell before the door of a well-to-do Mexican, who 
carried him in, and for six weeks cared for him, while 
the fever burned higher and still higher. 

Their child, beautiful in face and form, never wearied 
waiting on him. The cooling drink of water seemed a 
draught from Heaven brought by an angel. He became 
so weak he could not sit alone. 

As his strength returned a great longing for home 
came over him. He wanted to see Evangeline, to hear 
her speak words of comfort; to tell the mother he had 
done his very best. At this thought tears came in his 
eyes. Brushing them away his hand fell weakly down 


80 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


and touched the pin he wore. Sadly he remembered 
his promise to Bessie that while his life lasted he would 
seek Dora until he found her among the living or the 
dead. Yes, he would go on — some day he would find 
a lonely grave where he would kneel and pray God to 
forgive his sins. Never would he leave that sacred place 
until he had hope in Jesus. And he would meet her 
at last in Heaven. 

At that moment Anita brought him a drink of water 
and, without believing it would do any good, he ques- 
tioned her about girls she had known. 

To his surprise she spoke of a girl, “muy bonito y 
wero” (very pretty and fair) . And the way she finished 
describing her it must have been Dora, for she lived 
with a woman named Dofia Brijida. 

Dora had been very ill with a fever at Vera Cruz, 
where many died. They had taken her away on the 
train while the fever was so hot and Dora without 
doubt died on the train, concluded Anita. 

While she was gone to dinner, Robert for the first 
time asked God to show him where to go. On rising 
from his knees he wondered if there were healthy places 
not far away, where people would go to live. He went 
to the depot, walking for the first time since he had 
taken the fever. God seemed to make him strong. 

He inquired if they knew any healthier locality. Yes, 
there was Jalapa, a town built on the High Lands, where 
the climate was healthy and delightful. Many went 
there during the sickly season. He took the train the 
next day, although the family entreated him to wait 
until he was stronger. Anita clung to him and cried, 
but, giving her a toy from his collection and promising 
to see them again, he hurried off. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


81 


Chapter X. 

THINE IS THE KINGDOM. 

As Dora went down the street she saw red and white 
oleanders blooming by the way. She saw no fairies, for 
they seek retirement in the hedges and still woods where 
flowers are fragrant. 

She did not pray in her room before starting, but 
Dora had forgotten that she was no longer in the country 
where she could be alone with God by the brook, in the 
garden or under the dark, shady pines. However, at 
that time of the day not many were coming and going 
in the streets, so she just knelt for a moment under 
some oleander trees, read a parable from her Bible and 
prayed earnestly to her Father in Heaven, asking to know 
what her mission was. Very fervent was her prayer. 

As she rose she saw the masts of the ships in the 
harbor near by and went over to look at them. There 
was a very large ship with the name “El Mundo.” It 
was a foreign name, she knew. The flag was green, 
white and red. She never had seen one .like it before. 
Full of interest, she came near. The men were loading 
th ship, and it is not customary to receive visitors on 
board while thus busy, but Dora looked so pretty and 
fearless as she came aboard, without a word, one of 
the officers held out his hand to help her up. 

They spoke a language she could not understand, 
while hers was equally strange to them. Looking around 
at things that interested her, she saw a cabin adorned 
with many flowers, whose open door invited her to enter, 
no one being within. And, thought she, “Oh, just the 
place for fairies.” 

There were poppies in the corner, tube roses making 
sweet the air; modest violets and old-fashioned roses 
in vases on a table. On one side of the cabin was a 
long cushioned box, where Dora reclined with her head 


82 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 




toward the poppies with half-closed eyes watching for 
fairies. 

Dora had been up late the night before; the poppies 
increasing her drowsiness, she dropped asleep and slept 
soundly until dark. 

They finished loading and left the harbor, making 
noise enough to have awakened the seven sleepers, but 
Dora was in a sound, healthy slumber, the motion of 
the ship only lulled her to perfect unconsciousness. 

The one who belonged in the cabin came in— a fleshy 
Mexican woman resembling a large sack of cotton tied 
in the middle, but well-dressed withal. Seeing the child 
visitant like the sleeping beauty in story books, she felt 
great delight — felt honored, as if an angel had come 
to her. 

She did not wish to waken her for a deeper reason. 
A few months past her only child, a little girl, had died 
at Galveston. She was on her way across the Gulf of 
Mexico and her heart, so empty, now filled with love 
for this child. How she came there she knew not, but 
she would not wake her. “For why?” The ship was 
far out and they understood not the language of the 
Americans. 

When night set in she slipped a pillow under her 
head. Dora stirred uneasily, but slept on until morning. 
Naturally she cried then and tried to make them take 
her back. The most of the officers did not understand 
her enough to know what to do and the one who under- 
stood English was told by the woman to whom she 
clung begging for help, that the child was entrusted to 
her by her parents, to whom she was taking her across 
the gulf. 

After a while Dora resigned herself to her situation 
and one day she heard the peddler with his broken 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


83 


English, to whom she traded her pin, hoping it might 
help them to find her. 

The last day she was on board, the captain, who was 
fond of her, gave her a De Torney’s method for learning 
Spanish. When they arrived at Vera Cruz, Dona Brijida 
put the book in her valise and hurried her on a train 
bound for some distant town. There they were met 
by her husband who, putting them in a carriage, took 
them to their home. 

They treated Dora with great kindness, as if she were 
their own child. Listening to them and studying the 
Method, she soon talked the language fairly well. She 
began reading her Bible out loud to the woman and 
her husband, translating it as she slowly read. Finding 
it a pretty hard task, she took the Gospel of St. Matthew 
and, persuading Nana, as she called her, to get her a 
book of blank paper, she carefully translated and wrote 
it out in a clear round hand. 

Now she was thinking more than ever of her loved 
ones so far away, praying to see them again. Why did 
they not try to find her by answering her letters? For 
she kept writing to her mother and the rest, carefully 
addressing them to Galveston, and did not Tata mail 
them for her? He always said he would, and Tata 
never was careless about anything else she wanted. 

Chapter XL 

MAKING “THY KINGDOM COME.” 

Nana had a flower garden — such wonderful flowers 
growing and blooming in profusion, but different from 
those she knew in the Nobleman’s garden. She often 
went there to pray and see if the fairies would come, 
but for some time not one appeared. 

“Oh, I was too thoughtless a girl or I never would 
have gone off by myself in a strange city and on a 
strange ship without asking permission of Gerald; that 


84 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


is why the fairies never let me see them — they think I 
did wrong.” 

One evening she was praying and Jesus whispered to 
her, “Why do you mourn? Arise and teach the darkened 
souls who surround you about Me.” Kneeling there 
among the flowers she consecrated her young life to 
the mission the Lord Jesus now revealed to her. 

When Mexicans came to the house or Nana took 
them to their homes she told them the story of Jesus 
and His love, of His power to save them from their sins. 

After a while she took the terrible fever, and while 
she was unable to hold up her head they took her on 
the train so far, far away it seemed she would never 
get to the end of her journey. 

At last they stopped at a place where the air was 
like balm. In three months, living where no cold winds 
of winter ever blew, where perpetual Spring reigned, 
her health was restored, her beauty returned enhanced, 
Nana and Tata now prmitted her to go and come at 
will, because all of their neighbors were Mexicans and 
most of them were savages. Their greater fear had 
been that the Americans would find her; now, as she 
was afraid to go far, they relaxed their vigilance. 

Dora invited the Mexicans to come to a large tree 
for a place of worship. Coming in throngs, they drank 
in her words as flowers drink in belated but refreshing 
showers. 

Nana taught her to play on a kind of harp, and with 
this she sang about God and told the marvelous story 
of His love. She was now so happy in doing this for 
Jesus that she awaited peacefully the time He should 
lead her back to her mother. 

A rich Mexican family lived near, with luxuriant 
trees and flowers all around their house. He invited her 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


85 


to hold services there under the shade on the open lawn, 
and he contrived seats for all who came. 

His son played the marimba to perfection with his 
band. This instrument is very like a piano in shape, 
wooden boxes of different lengths and widths hold slats 
crossing the openings lengthwise and fastened by strings. 
The music is produced by four men who play by striking 
the keys with two slender drumstick hammers having 
rubber balls on the ends. One plays the soprano and 
has the possibilities of great variety, as he carries the 
tune. The others play severally the alto, tenor and bass. 
These instruments range in price from fifty to three 
hundred dollars and their music is preferred by some 
to piano music. 

They placed this fine marimba In an arbor while 
Sylvano, with his assistants, played lovely music to 
Dora’s hymns. One day Dora suddenly looked up and 
what do you think? There stood Rob, gazing at her 
with the expression of one in a dream. Never before 
had he heard music and sacred song at once so strange 
and weirdly beautiful. 

He had thought if he ever found Dora alive she would 
be pale and' thin, a shadow of her former self. But 
here was Dora, plump, rosy and serene, as he had last 
seen her. 

And what did that foolish child Dora do but run to 
him and, throwing her arms around his neck, cry and 
laugh by turns. There are moments of pure happiness 
in this life when it seems to rise and mingle with 
Heaven’s felicity. The joy Robert felt, finding Dora; 
the glad thought of restoring her to her mother and 
friends; the long search ended, the sad separation over. 
Dora’s joy to see an American face after so long, and 
that one Robert’s, the transport in believing she would 
soon see her mother again. 


86 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Although Robert did not understand Dora’s Spanish 
perfectly, amid her mistakes of verb and tense, as she 
calmly resumed her service, yet rendered, as it was by 
her sweet voice, it touched his heart. Nana and Tata 
were not so rejoiced to see the Americano, still less 
would they have been had they known Robert had said 
to her that tomorrow would find them a day’s journey 
nearer her mother. 

Imagine his surprise when Dora answered she could 
not go then. Of course she would go after a while, 
when she found someone to take charge of her flock. 

Robert then said with vexation: 

“So you now love these savages better than your 
heart-broken mother?” 

But Dora, opening wider her innocent eyes, defended 
her position. 

“Robert, if you loved Jesus as I love Him, you could 
not leave these poor souls to perish just when they are 
getting saved every day. If it were my work I might 
leave it, but it is the work of Christ, my owner, for He 
has bought me. I cannot imperil these precious souls. 
I must do as He says.” 

Robert Haycent’s temper began to abate at these mov- 
ing words, but he begged her all the week till, finding 
it was of no use, he desisted, saying with more gallantry: 

“Then I will stay and protect you from these savages!” 

However, he wrote to his aunt, “I did not think Dora 
could be so stubborn, but I will stay and protect her.” 

Chapter XH. 

THE POWER AND THE GLORY. 

It was not long, you may be sure, before the six chil- 
dren heard of the discovery of Dora — her mother being 
the first to receive the glad tidings. 

Robert broke the news to her in a letter, enclosing 
one from Dora. Her young companions understood why 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


87 


Dora wanted to stand at her post. Her mother, who 
had found the blessed Christ amid the waves of sorrow, 
now in her joy was wonderfully calm and patient, await- 
ing the coming of Dora. “If the dear child has found 
her mission there I will even go to her,” she said. 

The seven appointed a day for prayer, each to pray 
come sunset hour, and God soon answered them. A 
missionary named Hunt, who was selling Bibles in 
Oaxaca and the mountains around about, all at once 
felt a great wish to go to Jalapa and one day a while 
before sundown arrived at Nana Brijida’s door! 

When he learned what Dora was doing he gave her 
a Spanish Bible, some hymn books and Scripture cards. 
And offered to stay two months, preaching for the people, 
while Dora went home with Rob. 

Caroline, Bessie, James and Gerald had a week’s leave 
of absence from school and the children were having 
jubilee meetings in their trees. 

One night they were particularly happy at Mrs. Hay- 
good’s, where they had gathered, and all felt that exalta- 
tion of spirit one feels when loved ones the united. 

They were looking at a pin which they had given to 
Bessie, all contributing to the price. It was designed 
by the Nobleman. A golden basket with loaves of bread 
carved inside. Delicate sprays of forget-me-nots made 
of turquoise with leaves of emerald were between the 
loaves. This was her reward for her faithful work while 
seeking the clue to Dora’s discovery. 

Bessie stood in their midst enjoying the sweet words 
of commendation which they all offered her. Dora, 
with her head in her mother’s lap, held Evan- 
geline’s hand. Tears sparkled on Mrs. Haygood’s 
cheeks as she said, looking fondly at Evangeline, 
“It was you, however, whose dream Jed Bessie on her 


88 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


successful search. But for you I might have died from 
grief before my little one was restored.” 

Then they saw that the Nobleman was there and Evan- 
geline’s whole face lighted up with heavenly radiance. 

“Oh, it is YOU who deserve all the praise! Did I 
not feel your hand on my brow, giving me that beautiful 
dream?” 

With graceful movements she reached the grand organ 
and began His favorite words, “Praise God, from whom 
all blessings flow,” the others joining in with her. Dora’s 
sweet childish voice, Caroline’s strong cultivated notes 
filling the room as it were with mocking-birds, Gerald 
sang tenor, Mrs. Haygood alto, while James and Maxwell 
filled in the bass. Bessie gave her tender and expressive 
rendering of those words so incomparable for praise. 
Even Rob was drawn into the unusual by uniting his 
voice with the rest. 

You remember, dear children, how charming their 
singing was in their first service on the mountain side? 
Now it was even more lovely. Mutual sorrow had 
deepened their natures, joy made melody that of Heaven 
above. 

They were brought back to earth again by the mis- 
chievous Gerald giving Evangeline’s golden knot a play- 
ful pull as he said: 

“You were the first one to receive a vision in answer 
to your prayer.” 

The Nobleman now looked at Rob. 

“No one has spoken about the dangers and hardships 
you endured while following the clue. What shall be 
your reward, my boy?” 

Robert looked surprised; he had not even thought 
of his part in the golden deed of Dora’s discovery. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


89 


“I will claim my reward later on,” he said, blushing 
up to his sandy hair, and hastily leaving the room he 
fled their thanks. 

“He has escaped our praises,” said Gerald, “yet he 
has made a track as well as the rest of us. We are evened 
up at last,” added he with his sparkling smile. 

PART HI. 

Chapter I. 

THEIR VARIOUS WAYS. 

THE NOBLEMAN’S FLOWERS. 

And let the beauty of the Lord our God 
be upon us, And establish Thou the work 
of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our 
Hands establish Thou it. (Psa. 90, 17.) 

The girls and boys would again be separated for 
some time, so into the garden they had all drifted, where 
the grand and waving trees moved to the voice of music, 
floating on the breeze. 

How very sad, almost like a wail, the music of the 
wheels rises and falls, thought Evangeline. Her com- 
panions were going to other scenes. She alone, in the 
place of her birth and beautiful life work, was to remain. 

To Dora the music was swelling tones of gladness, for 
she was going back to her mission, her loved work. It 
was like home, since her mother was going with her, 
and Rob, her gay companion, would leave no room for 
monotony. 

The Nobleman came among them bearing a basketful 
of white flowers with crimson roses in the center. He 
gave each one a flower, saying: 

“My children, let these flowers be emblems of the 
virtues you must strive to attain. To help you, I give 
each one a verse with a flower to remind you.” 


90 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


To Evangeline He gave a white rose with Blessed 
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt, v, 8). 
To James the verbenas with Blessed are the poor in 
spirit (Matt, v, 3). For Maxwell a tube-rose with its 
luscious odor and Blessed are the merciful, for they 
shall obtain mercy (Matt, v, 7). Caroline rejoiced in 
the spicy carnation with Blessed are the meek, for they 
shall inherit the earth (Matt, v, 5). To Bessie the 
narcissus, speaking of freshness and strength to bless; 
her verse was Blessed are the . peacemakers, for they 
shall be called the children of God (Matt, v, 9). Dora 
He crowned with sweet lillies of the valley and Blessed 
are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake was 
hers. Gerald pinned his white violets on with a smile, 
for sadness was far from him as he recited his verse, 
Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be com- 
forted (Matt. V, 4). And Rob, as he twined the honey- 
suckle in his buttonhole, was satisfied that Blessed are 
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for 
they shall be filled (Matt, v, 6), was rightly his. 

“These flowers are white,” continued the Nobleman, 
to show that purity is the best of all, for as the white 
light is composed of all the colors, so purity includes 
all the virtues. The red roses represent the blood of 
Christ, without which purity of soul and character is 
impossible.” 

He looked then at James and said: “My son,” and 
His eyes never seemed more kindly beaming than when 
He addressed this boy, “You will teach the meaning of 
your verse to the others, thus exercising your gift as 
preacher; and every year ye shall meet to hear him 
explain each verse in turn until their sense is clearly 
understood and engraven on your hearts.” 

James withdrew to study his verse, and when he 
returned his face was shining. I cannot say I remember 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


91 


all his talk, the children may, for when he finished they 
felt, although he had been dear, he was now more truly 
their own than ever before. Here is, however, a short 
selection : 

“The word poor is from the Latin word Tokos, which 
means beggar. To be poor in spirit means to come 
before God as a hungry beggar who will not cease 
pleading till he receives the desired gift. To come with 
the humility of one who has nothing but utter need, 
imploring as one pleads for life.” 

Some were tearful as they sang the parting hymn, 
for none could say or guess what Time to them would 
bring. 

Chapter H. 

EVANGELINE. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they 
shall see God. (Matt, v, 8.) 

During the last year of their stay at High School, it 
gradually dawned upon Evangeline that the letters she 
received from both James and Gerald were becoming 
more and more interesting to her. 

When James wrote his letter he pictured, uninten- 
tionally, his noble nature and the beautiful life he was 
living, besides the incidents of school life. 

Gerald’s letters amused her by the many funny say- 
ings with which he enlivened them, while his frequent 
expressions of sentiment and affection she accepted 
as- do many other young people, as her due, together 
with the short poems about herself. 

The seven children had always been on such easy 
loving terms, one with another, since she knew Gerald 
valued her opinion on his poetry, which was not always 
about herself, Evangeline tried to believe she was only 
receiving and returning their usual and proper friend- 
ship. 


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THE SEVEN WHEELS 


However, when she awakened to the truth, strange 
as it was, that she loved two men at once and knew 
they both loved her with an especial choice, while in 
her letters she was responding to each without being 
conscious of a choice. 

One day she put on a beautiful white rose which had 
opened on the bush she had planted by her window, the 
flower the Nobleman had selected for her, and began 
to read her Bible, glancing down at the rose as she 
pondered the verses. 

She was expecting the rose-fairy and it came, but 
did not alight, and soon vanished. Evangeline was sur- 
prised and disappointed. It was the first time the fairy 
bearing the sceptre of purity had departed without a 
smile or moment for her. 

Wondering if her heart was wrong, she began to 
reflect, her conscience stirred and whispered it was 
unjust to allow both Gerald and James to lavish their 
heart wealth on her — she had already lost her heart 
purity. Evangeline knelt in prayer, in penitent confes- 
sion she acknowledged her error, the sin she had uncon- 
sciously drifted into. 

In tears before God she pleaded for Him to restore 
her soul and the blood that cleanseth from all sin 
made her heart again whiter than snow. Then she saw 
the fairies Purity and Peace smiling among the petals 
of the rose. She placed it to her cheek. This is what 
she heard their musical voices say: 

“James was dear to her before they became The Band 
of Seven Wheels, the time when Gerald first came into 
her life. Since James decided to preach they had worked 
together, she selecting his hymns and always helping in 
his meetings,” began Purity. 

“So had the rest,” suggested Peace. “Gerald seldom 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 93 

missed the meetings; his tenor voice was a great attrac- 
tion.” 

“But James forgets himself — ‘none of self, but all of 
Christ’ — is the grace he has attained through prayer and 
humility. I cannot see how Evangeline could fail to 
love him best.” 

“She does, I know,” said Peace; “but Gerald is rich, 
and her mother longs for luxuries she could enjoy if 
Evangeline chose him.” 

“True, James is not wealthy so far as money goes, 
but he is rich in faith and is laying up treasure in 
Heaven,” responded Purity. 

The fairies floated away. 

While Evangeline did pray. 

But she did not write the same way to the boys as 
before. Her letters to Gerald became shorter, con- 
strained and less frequent. To James she continued the 
way she had ever written to him, a natural, beautiful 
way. Her love was woven throughout and James was 
sure there was no change. Gerald saw she was trying 
to evade his love, but hoped when he came to see her 
things would be different. 

Chapter HI. 

JAMES. 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs 
is the kingdom of Heaven.” 

The verse selected for James, he thought, fitted him 
exactly. As he reflected he was poor in gifts. Not a 
painter like Maxwell, who was steadily going forward 
in his art. Nor like Gerald, who played the violin 
beautifully. Nor yet like Caroline, whose voice charmed 
all her hearers. 


94 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


He felt humble and sadly deficient, his thoughts were 
diverted by the fragrance of his flowers, verbenas grow- 
ing lowly by the walk. “They are sweet, and like them 
may I make a small part of the world sweeter by my 
life.” Gathering a few white ones he placed them in 
his buttonhole. 

Time flew by, the years of their school days were fast 
passing away. It was early in the holidays when James 
went to see Evangeline, to sing with her and to select 
some hymns for a Sunday in the mountains. 

After a happy hour Evangeline was called out of the 
room for a short time. While waiting James happened 
to glance at a piece of paper hanging half out of an 
poen box, and involuntarily read these words: “My 
college life will soon be over, and then I will be with 
thee every day, ‘Thou fair one with golden locks.’ ” 

He knew Gerald was the writer, but why had Evan- 
geline left it in view? Either she esteemed his words 
lightly or she wanted James to see those lines he had 
written her. It was not the first time he had suspected 
that Gerald loved Evangeline and it troubled him to 
think of a rival. 

He had some very fine pears in his orchard, so he 
told Evangeline he would bring her a few the next day. 
He met Gerald at the cross-road and they went along 
together. 

James could not help thinking that any girl might be 
charmed by Gerald’s face. His blue eyes were sunny 
and he wore the hopeful expression of the sanguine tem- 
perament. Over his white forehead were waves of rich 
auburn hair. His tall form was arrayed with an 
elegance of raiment showing that cost was no object 
with the wearer. 

Gerald might have thought justly the same about 
James. His dark eyes, now deep with earnest thought. 


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95 


his thick black hair curled around his brow, while the 
tinge of red in his cheeks showed the health of a tem- 
perate life. All this, combined with the grace and dignity 
of his bearing, made him fully as attractive. 

Evangeline received them with an easy smile which 
in the way of welcome left nothing to be desired, and 
they engaged in a light conversation about anything 
they happened to think of. Gerald seemed ill at ease, 
nevertheless determined to outstay James, who finally 
withdrew to study his sermon. 

Gerald then asked Evangeline to accompany him on 
some new music for violin and piano. And day after 
day he came with all kinds of late music, really it was 
improving their time in another sense. 

Bessie discovered what was disturbing James and said 
to him one day: “Why do you not learn to play the 
flute and make it a band? I will take my mandolin 
and see if they will let us in.” 

James pleaded incapacity, but Bessie insisted, “Oh, 
just listen! Anyone who can sing can learn to play.” 

So Evangeline gladly helped them play together and 
for some time could not see that Gerald was ahead of 
him. He and Evangeline had been fond of each other 
from early childhood, before she had even seen Gerald. 

One night James was praying after reading about the 
different gifts (I. Cor. xii). He turned beggar at the 
throne and prayed all night for the gift of healing, 
since he could do more good in his ministry, for he 
would gain the hearts of the people by healing their 
sick. 

The next morning he arose feeling strangely refreshed. 
His mother was reclining on the bed complaining of a 
headache, and he went to her, smoothing her forehead 
with his hand as he prayed. She fell asleep and awoKe 
well. As he strolled out of the gate he found a little 


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kitten whose mashed paw he carefully bound up, and 
went over the mountain to see the child who had been 
sick so long with slow fever. He anointed its forehead 
burning with heat and, kneeling, prayed earnestly. 

In a few moments the mother laid her hand on its 
brow and looked with wonder at James. The fever was 
gone, the face was even moist. 

“Oh, God has heard you,” she cried, and although 
James could scarce believe it, God had given him the 
gift of healing. 

After the young people had finished picking berries 
the mountain people gave them a picnic dinner near the 
spring, bringing a great variety of well-prepared dishes 
for the feast. 

They had a testimony meeting at ten and at eleven 
James preached to them. Afterwards one of the moun- 
taineers took him away. Then Gerald asked Evangeline 
to go with him to the other side of the mountain, where 
the view was fine. They found some mountain daisies 
white and lovely with their petals tipped with pink. 
These Gerald arranged in a wreath, which he placed 
on Evangeline’s head, saying: 

“Thou art a queen worthy of my crown,” and in a 
low, tender tone, continued: “You remember Longfel- 
low’s words, ‘Love the crown of all humanity?’ Thus 
would I crown thee with my love.” 

Evangeline started to take the crown off, but the ends 
not being well fastened, the wreath fell apart, trailing 
down her long yellow braid. 

“Oh, Gerald! your crown is not for me,” was all she 
said. Then Gerald, with every argument he could think 
of and all the eloquence of which he was possessed, 
pleaded with her to accept his love still; although Evan- 
geline was moved she was firm. 

He continued his earnest declaration of unchanging 


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97 


love until the sun sank low. Then with a gesture of 
despair he said: 

“You love another, and it is James.” 

From Evangeline’s eyes there shone a soft light just 
then, but she rose with a quiet dignity to end the inter- 
view. 

But Gerald barred the way. 

“Since all the rest of your kisses are for another, 
could you not spare one for me?” 

Evangeline turned her pure, sorrowful face toward 
him for answer and he rained kisses on her — one parting 
caress on the golden hair, and he was gone. 

Unperceived by them, someone stood near, transfixed 
by the scene. It was James, who also turned and went 
another way. Half -blinded with pain he stumbled down 
the steep mountain side, saying in his heart, Evangeline 
loves Gerald after all. 

He resolved to go to Mexico, to take the night train, 
and called on his way back to bid Evangeline and her 
mother goodbye. The lamps were not yet lighted, so 
he did not see how white Evangeline’s face turned when 
he told her why he came. 

“You will write, and come back sometime?” inquired 
she. 

“Yes, write,” he answered in a mechanical tone. 

When his steps died away on the walk Evangeline 
threw herself on her knees by the window. With tears 
falling fast she prayed while her light form shook with 
sobs unheard save by her God. 

At the gate James paused; something impelled him 
to return to Evangeline, to speak loving words to her 
who was dearer at that moment than life itself. 

Was it the instinct that guides the bee to its hive, that 
calls the bird to its nest? Was it not, rather, the Spirit 
of God prompting him? 


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Had he obeyed that whisper he would have discovered 
that Evangeline loved him. But cold judgment forbade 
him to intrude his sorrow on her joy — hers and Geralds; 
he could not rejoice with her; he could not cast a 
shadow on her care-free future. Thus he left his Eden 
and went into a dreary wilderness alone. 

He decided not to take the train until the next day. 
A cheerful “Good morning” made him turn to see 
Bessie. 

“I bring you a little treat to go with your mamma’s 
lunch,” she said, lifting some broad green leaves and 
showing some of her home-made bread with red, mellow 
apples and a bunch of narcissus blossoms, all in her 
school basket. 

James thanked her with a faint smile. How good 
Bessie was. Bidding her goodbye he said, “Write often 
and pray for me.” 

As soon as he was gone Bessie went straight to her 
room and prayed that God would give James peace, for 
she knew he was very troubled and rightly guessed the 
cause. 

While she was yet kneeling peace came to him, peace 
stilling the tempest of his heart. Thus Bessie began 
her mission as peacemaker. Her prayer brought the 
dove of peace to James and he went forth. In the 
strength of the Lord he would brave all ; with youth and 
health he would do great things. 

After the departure of James Evangeline thought per- 
haps in his letter he would express his unchanged love. 
But although he wished to write as before, unselfishly 
tried to give her pleasure as he had ever done, yet she 
could see something was grieving him to the heart. 

Then his letters were discontinued, Bessie receiving 
the last. As time wore away she felt more and more 
that James had been cruel to leave her so coldly without 


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99 


even expressing a wish that she would work with him 
in Mexico. 

Chapter IV. 

GERALD. 

Blessed are they that mourn, for they 
shall be comforted. (Matt, v, 4.) 

“Yes, I will take lessons from you another year,” 
Gerald was saying to his violin master. He felt very 
disconsolate as he returned to his duties in Galveston. 

His verse came into his mind as he pinned some violets 
on his coat preparatory to going to his office. 

“I am mourning now sure enough,” he thought, “but 
when will I be comforted? Never for the loss of Evan- 
geline.” 

He worked hard as a stenographer. Although his 
parents were wealthy they believed he should have some 
profession by which to support himself in case their 
riches took wings and flew away. 

Even Bessie seemed estranged from him and truly 
her manner toward him was changed because she believed 
he was at last successful in his suit with Evangeline. 

She was attracted to him partly from the contrast of 
their temperaments. She also fancied tall men and 
Gerald was six feet high. Bessie rad rather a sad turn 
of mind, so his lively manner and constant cheerfulness 
did her good like medicine. 

For two years she had taught a class in his Sunday 
School, but while Gerald appreciated her character and 
work, he felt only friendship for her on account of the 
constant association. Being a natural poet he invested 
all women with a kind of halo and treated each one 
with gallantry. 

He admired beauty and Evangeline grew more and 
more beautiful. He had never been denied anything 


100 


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money could bring, so this pleasure-loving youth thought 
it very hard he could not have this girl. 

According to their childhood promises they were to 
write to each other if separated, no seldomer than once 
a month. In response to his short, moody letters, Evan- 
geline wrote him long letters full of comfort. She felt 
that, somehow, she owed him a reparation for receiving 
his love when it first began. 

One day a letter came to him from Dora, telling of 
James’ arrival at the mission and their great joy because 
of his coming, and so unexpectedly. This was a surprise 
to Gerald, too, for before the picnic James, in spite of 
his own devotion, seemed determined to win Evangeline. 

Why had he gone to Mexico? Perhaps Evangeline 
also intended being a missionary. But she was doing 
so much good in her own home and neighborhood, no 
one dreamed it possibl she would go elsewhere. Besides, 
there were heathen enough on the mountain to occupy 
several missionaries. In fact, he had heard James say 
the mountain slopes would be his field for some years 
to come. 

Months had passed when Robert wrote a letter saying 
that James had gone southward to work among some 
intolerant Catholics. Later still they ceased to have any 
news from him. It seemed very strange, for he had 
been writing frequent and wonderful letters. 

To Bessie they revealed a heart almost stormy in its 
grief at times. To Evangeline he wrote merely friendly 
letters describing the flora, fauna and scenery of the 
country. Gerald received scarcely a page from him. To 
Dora about his work the power of God was with him 
converting souls. 

Then Rob made diligent search for him and returned 
without learning where he was. Gerald now tried to 
comfort Dora. A year later no one had any clue of 


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101 


James. The most reasonable conclusion was that he had 
been killed by fierce animals or poisoned by some 
Catholic who was a fanatic rather than a Christian. 

To do Gerald justice, he really mourned for James 
a while, but he tried more than ever to win the love 
of Evangeline. He took a holiday and went to see her. 
And her mother influenced her to accept him. He could 
give them the advantages of wealth. At last poor Evan- 
geline engaged herself to him, telling him, however, 
her heart held nothing for him more than Christian 
friendship, which was a poor return for his love. 

Gerald was confident he could teach her to love him 
even better than she did James, but he had sense enough 
not to tell her so. 

They had been engaged only three months when she 
dreamed of James alive and in earnest conversation with 
a Catholic monk. Her love for him came back like a 
wave over her soul. She could not be other than indif- 
ferent to Gerald, so he decided to try absence from her. 
His father asked him to go with him on a hunting excur- 
sion far over the mountain. So telling Evangeline good- 
bye, he went off singing “Absence makes the heart grow 
fonder.” 

Day by day the party went merrily on together and 
while they enjoyed their fine wines and other liquors 
Gerald tasted nothing stronger than water. On their 
way back they were overtaken by a blizzard. His father 
and the doctor of the company persuaded Gerald to take 
a toddy. This led him to drunkenness, delaying their 
return. 

Evangeline was at first relieved to be alone with 
her own thoughts, but toward the last of his stay missed 
the love this warm-hearted fellow had lavished on her. 
She went up the side of the mountain cheered by the 
exhilarating breezes and great outlook, where verdant 


102 


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slopes and lofty peaks seemed trying to outvie each 
other in beauty. Resting awhile under a pine tree she 
awaited his coming with mingled emotions. 

The company passed at a distance but Gerald hastened 
forward to meet her. He was now perfectly sober, but 
the fumes of the brandy he had last were yet on his 
breath. His comrades tried to restrain him, but he 
insisted on going to her. 

She met him with more feeling than she had ever 
shown before, but as they walked along together she 
perceived the odor on his breath once and again. 

“Gerald,” she said with dismay, “you promised never 
to touch it more!” 

He pleaded that it was a matter of life and death — 
the cold was sudden and unendurable. 

“It is almost a matter of life and death for a girl to 
marry a man who drinks. I cannot love you now you 
have broken your word.” 

“Oh, Evangeline, consider what you would do ; without 
you I shall be like a ship without sails or rudder. I 
will go to ruin — to torment — without you.”. 

“No,” said Evangeline, “you need not; the love of 
Jesus can save you without me.” 

“Besides, you do love me,” he entreated; “when we 
met there was more than joy in your greeting. Your 
heart came to me.” 

“But that is past. I cannot love nor respect a man 
who has no regard for his word. I promised myself 
to you on condition you would never taste it more. 
You have freed me and I am glad to be free.” 

And Evangeline turned from him with a queenly ges- 
ture, there was even a gleam of joylight in her eyes, like 
he saw there once before standing together on the moun- 
tain side. 


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103 


Gerald turned away, saying: 

^‘Goodbye, then, for you have caused my ruin.” 

‘ Stay,” she pleaded, with real concern, hoping to 
induce him to look to Jesus. But he rushed away to 
join his father and that night he tried to drown his 
anguish “In the fiery cup that dulls the brain and burns 
the spirit up.” 

For Evangeline there were many sad days in store. 
Had she stood firm in refusing to accept a love she could 
not return it would have been better for both. 

However, in breaking the engagement she felt a great 
relief, but very dreary withal. Her health failing, she 
went to the Nobleman’s Son, wbo made her revive with 
His love and gave her many hours of work, every day, 
in His Father’s garden, where she was refreshed with 
joy and peace. 

Chapter V. 

CAROLINE. 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall in- 
herit the earth. (Matt, v, 5.) 

“She is a fine girl,” said the teacher of painting to 
Maxwell. “More perfectly turned hands and arms I 
never beheld.” 

He was waiting for Caroline to pose for a picture he 
was about to paint. At present Max was at work on a 
picture called “Summer,” for which Caroline was sit- 
ting as a girl with a basket of fruit, and she was coming 
every day. Maxwell brought her word from the painter, 
but although Caroline was pleased with the compliment 
she was in no hurry to finish with Max. 

One thing about Caroline and Maxwell, they never 
quarreled or had an unpleasant word between them. 
If Max disagreed with her on any subject he generally 
said so, and if she could not bring bim to think as 
she did, her spirit was unruffled. 


104 


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Caroline was high-tempered and sometimes found it 
hard to practice her verse, especially in her intercourse 
with Mrs. White’s family, who could not be congenial 
to a true Christian. The girls often sneered at her 
for being too religious to dance. When they hurt her 
feelings, as they often did, she would tell Max about it. 
He usually made light of it in a good-humored way. 
Once he said: 

“Oh, Birdie, let’s go back to the mountains. I’d 
like to paint a ragamuffin I saw there.” 

“And leave my music class to bury myself in the 
country?” 

“Well, put on your most beautiful expression for 
Summer is supposed to look pleasant.” 

Then she laughed and looked like a bright Summer 
day. Then Max hummed these lines to the tune of 
the “Sweet Bye and Bye”: 

There’s a girl that is fairer than day; 

Bye and bye I will take her away. 

In the evening, when rest time came, he frequently 
took her out in a boat to see the beauties of the bay 
when it was blue with silvery gleams. 

When she heard how Gerald was throwing himself 
away she became very indignant. When she tried, one 
day, to expostulate with him, showing some ire, he 
took a flask of brandy from his pocket and drank 
before her. At which her temper got the best of her 
and she said things that offended him. So when he 
took inflammatory rheumatism afterward by exposure 
he sent word to her not to come about, but to consider 
the teaching of her verse. 

Caroline was sorry for him — he was such a pitiful 
object with his bloated face she was glad to stay away 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


105 


from him. Besides, if she failed to reform him who 
could? She was still writing to him. 

How he could give up such a girl as Evangeline she 
could not conceive. Bessie felt differently toward him 
and went to see him. 

However, Caroline took Gerald’s advice and thought 
on her verse, as James had explained it to them in the 
Talking Tree. The word meek in Spanish is manso, 
meaning tame. We should have our thoughts and words 
so tame that they will not run out like wild colts to 
bruise and hurt the feelings of others. Our Savior was 
dumb before his shearers, so we should try to be quiet 
before our annoyers. 

So Caroline prayed for a meek and quiet spirit, which 
came and made her more beautiful than ever with its 
adorning. She could at least pray for Gerald with 
the rest of the band who loved him. 

Many young men in Galveston admired Caroline and 
asked for her company, but she always said she was 
going with someone else. Whether Maxwell always 
engaged her company before anyone else could I know 
not, but they were simply happy and content with one 
another, all beside were “De Trop.” There was nothing 
of the coquette in Caroline; since leaving off dancing 
all her aims were high and holy. 

Chapter VI. 

MAXWELL. ‘ 

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall 
obtain mercy. (Matt, v, 7.) 

Maxwell was daily learning more of his art and 
called so often on Caroline to pose for him while paint- 
ing the personification of Summer that she playfully 
asked him one day to think of his verse and be merciful. 

She posed for another artist until she saw that he 
was falling in love with her, then she told him she had 


106 


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something that must absolutely claim her time, and 
refused to sit for him again. She was practicing a new 
song. 

Max was studying his verse and using a Bible with 
concordance in the back, found for the first time this 
verse: “A merciful man regardeth the life of his 

beast.” (Prov. xvi, 12.) 

He had only one pet animal, a handsome horse named 
Rembrandt, and thinking that perhaps he did not under- 
stand how to take proper care of him, he inquired for 
a book on horses. He received one from Caroline 
entitled “Black Beauty,” where he learned many things 
relating to the comfort of horses. 

A horse should be tied in the shade during hot 
weather, on level ground, so he can be at ease, and 
with rope enough to lie down if he wants to. Check 
reins are very trying to the feelings and temper of a 
horse; it is cruel to make them hold up their heads so 
long in an unnatural position. They need their meals 
at regular times and should be watered at least three 
times a day during the heat of summer. A horse should 
be spoken kindly to and caressed. They should never 
be overtaxed and no one has any reason for being 
unkind to this noble animal who serves us so faithfully 
and uncomplainingly. Some train them to obedience 
with the whip. Dear children, I can tell you of a real 
lady who trained large and almost unmanageable horses 
simply by kindness, not with a whip. A free going 
horse resents being struck and when they are doing 
their best it is mean to keep whipping them, as some do. 

Max read the whole book and learned many other 
things he had never thought about before wishing, when 
he finished, that everyone who had a horse would read 
it also. 

He told Caroline she should practice his verse by 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


107 


being more merciful in her judgment of Gerald. Poor 
boy, he would not seek help from the Nobleman’s Son 
because He had said to him on curing him the first 
time, “Go and sin no more.” And Satan told him there 
was no help for one who had sinned after conversion. 
One of the devil’s lies. 

Max tried also to be merciful in his jokes when he 
found anything he said hurt or offended anyone he 
quickly desisted. He tried to be merciful to those who 
did him wrong, and as “offenses must needs be” in this 
life, he constantly found occasions when he could exer- 
cise mercy. Caroline had a pet canary and he reminded 
her of its needs until she was careful. 

Everyone who knew Caroline and Maxwell believed 
they were engaged, especially their friends at school, 
but they were not until some time after James went 
away. 

Maxwell began to think however certain they were 
of each other’s love and good intentions it was right 
he should speak to her. It would be unmerciful, he 
thought, half mischievously, to let someone cut him out 
or for him to get the idea that Caroline loved somebody 
else and to leave her broken-hearted, as Evangeline 
seemed in danger of being. . 

One evening about sunset he was listening to Caro- 
line singing a song she had learned from one of her 
musical monthlies. It was not a famous or well-known 
song, but the music was full of melody and the simple 
words well chosen and touching. The title was “Mine 
Only.” 

When the last word was sung and her birdlike voice 
ceased, he took her hand, dimpled as a baby’s, and said: 

“Are you mine only and forever?” 




108 


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And Caroline, turning toward him, gave him her 
other hand, answering: 

“Yours and forever.” 

The sweet fragrance of the flowers she wore wafted 
to him and mingled with the delight of that moment. 
And ever after the odor of carnations recalled to him 
the joy of that time. 

Then, seated on the porch in the fair moonlight, they 
forgot all else but how dear they were to each other. 
The piano, deserted, was not offended, knowing that 
the music of the heart must find vent in words; that 
the music in their words of love was to them most 
divinely beautiful. 

After a while they talked of their united plans. Caro- 
line, when more of a child, had said she would be 
married by James, and in the Singing Tree. She now 
reminded him; they would wait — surely James would 
come back, and then they would have a platform in the 
willow tree where they and the boy preacher could stand. 
The rest could climb up; they would always like to 
climb, to find seats among the branches. Caroline’s 
mother, still an invalid, could rest in her hammock 
swurig to the limbs. 

“And it will be a night, half dark, half light, so our 
Chinese lanterns will show our beautiful looks. The 
Nobleman will spread the feast among the roses,” said 
Max. 

“If there is not room for my school chums and sweet 
Mill May, we can seat them on cushioned ladders,” 
chimed in Caroline, clapping her hands. 

“And our wedding tour will be to the garden to hear 
the music of the wheels,” continued Max, “or, oh, I 
have a most wonderful thought!” 

Here Caroline put her hand over his mouth. “Hush,” 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


109 


she said, “write it down and wait — there will be nothing 
new to surprise us.” 

“Why, your dress will be new,” laughed Max. 

“I don’t know; I believe I will wear the one I have 
on — it is last year’s, but you painted it in your picture 
of Summer.” 

“I hope we will not have to wait long for James,” 
said he; “we must not wait too long.” 

“Then let us pray for him to come.” 

So they knelt and prayed for James to return, for 
Gerald to reform — they wanted him to look handsome 
then. 

“And be my best man,” said Max. “We must bring 
James back by our prayers or Evangeline will be too 
sad.” 

It was eleven o’clock; the horse was stamping, and 
Max must be merciful to his steed. The flowers will 
not tell if they kissed good-night — it was nothing new 
if they did. 

“But why,” thought Caroline, with a little pang of 
her conscience, “did we not pray as fervently for James 
to come before?” 

Gerald and Maxwell had always been great friends 
and every day seemed to cement their friendship. Max, 
however, did not approve of his love for Evangeline, 
and when he heard of James’ departure and Gerald’s 
subsequent engagement he felt like it was a mistake, 
although he said nothing. When Gerald went back to 
drinking and lost his position. Max made several efforts 
to induce him to reform, but when he found they were 
unavailing he was rather alienated from him. 

But he could not forget the time Gerald tried to bring 
about his conversion, praying with him in his room, and 
the thought of his own happiness made him very tender 
toward him. He came wearing his tuberoses, bringing 


110 


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a bouquet of these flowers mingled with carnations, to 
enliven the room of his sick friend. 

Gerald was glad to see him again and Max soon told 
him that he and Caroline wanted him for best man at 
their wedding. 

‘So, hurry up, old fellow, and get back your Grecian 
nose.” 

This feature of Gerald had been much admired by 
the fair girls of the Ball High School. One young lady 
who was in the painting class slipped him these words: 

I would like for you to pose 
Some very pleasant day; 

That I might your Grecian nose 
Endeavor to portray. 

Gerald quoted these words with a gleam of his old- 
time merriment, adding that his nose was now more 
like an overgrown radish. Then he asked Max to look 
in his trunk for his portfolio of specimens. 

Here were the flowers and plants Gerald had gathered, 
for he was quite a botanist. The last time he was out 
on a hunt he found a rare plant, but getting drunk before 
his return he lay all night in the damp hollow, the result 
being a case of inflammatory rheumatism. 

He wished Max to find it and fasten it in the book 
with the others. Max also was quite a lover of Botany, 
they had studied in the same class, so the boys became 
very eager over the identity of the pla»t. Max took 
out the Botanical Dictionary and they found a name 
for it at last, Evitate Ambriguez. 

For an hour they forgot all trouble in the pleasure 
they were having. Before he left Max read a chapter 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


111 


and prayed with him. Gerald thanked him and said 
his visit had done him good. 

Chapter VII. 

ROBERT. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and 
thirst after righteousness, for they shall 
be filled. (Matt, v, 6.) 

For about a month Robert was happy and contented 
in Southern Mexico. Then the Bible man, Mr. Hunt, 
with his wife, came there to stay. As Dora and her 
mother did not need his protection now, his roving 
habits were too much for him, so he returned to the 
United States, traveling in the interest of his employer 
for one year in the States and the next going to Aus- 
tralia. 

Dora had passed her fifteenth year when he returned 
to Jalapa. She was now exceedingly beautiful. Her 
constant devotion to the missionary work gave her coun- 
tenance a pure look of grace unlike anything he had 
ever seen except in beholding Evangeline. It was the 
beauty of holiness. 

Robert seemed to have forgotten his promise to God 
if he found Dora, of becoming a Christian. Since she 
was alive, pleasure seemed to be his main object. They 
renewed their old-time companionship ; hours were happy 
and flew fast. 

Dear children, never mind how long they enjoyed 
their time this way, but one evening by the lake Rob 
looked at her with especial admiration. He had just 
received a letter from his aunt, wherein she expressed 
her opinion that Dora ought to be in school fitting 
herself for better society than that of savages. 

This was just what he had been thinking, but when 
he talked to Dora she looked blank dismay and said 


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she could never leave her mission. As he gazed on her 
budding beauty he wanted her for his very own and said: 

“Dora, won’t you be my wifie and go with me over 
the world?” 

She looked at him in amazement, not being sure 
whether he spoke in jest or in earnest. She turned 
away with “Oh, you horrid boy! Now when I am with 
you all my fun will be gone.” 

And she — nothing but a child — ran away down the 
hill, where she began to skip stones on the lake until 
he started to follow her, when she took the home road, 
going faster and faster until reaching her mother Jin the 
summer house she laid her head on her lap and began to 
cry softly. Mrs. Haygood could not find out from 
her why she cried, but several days after Robert told 
her and asked for her only child. 

She told him there were two reasons why she did not 
give her consent. One was, Dora was too young; the 
other, Dora did not love him as yet, and without love 
there could be no true marriage. And besides, Dora 
loved Jesus far too well to love him, unsaved as he was. 

“However, if you become a child of God, I would 
prefer you for Dora, since we both owe so much to 
you,” she concluded. 

It was long before Dora was again on easy terms 
with Rob. Making himself very agreeable to her, he 
resorted to every means to divert her mind from the 
object he had in view. But he could not help feeling 
that he was a pretty bad fellow, indeed, if Dora could 
not love him, and was displeased with himself for pro- 
posing to such a child. He grew fonder of her every 
day and maybe she liked him better than he knew. If 
he had only sought his Savior’s love as eagerly. 

He grieved the Spirit and soon showed the worst side 
of his nature in this wise. Dora had been good friends 


i 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


113 


with all the Mexicans, but while Rob was gone she 
became interested in seeking to win the soul of Sylvano, 
the one who played the marimba so beautifully. Inno- 
cent and childlike, she only thought of winning her 
Mexican friend to the Redeemer. 

Mr. Hunt and Dora were holding a meeting in the 
Garden of Worship. Impressed by the Spirit of God, 
when the invitation was given Sylvano came and gave 
his hand to Dora, naturally enough, as he had been 
under her ministry so long. 

The next day Rob objected to this. He should have 
given his hand to Mr. Hunt, the ordained minister. 
Moreover, he informed Dora that for her to show any 
especial interest in Sylvano was improper. 

At the next call, Sylvano, again really moved by the 
Spirit of God, knelt for prayer. Dora forgot everything 
in her joy to see the prospect of his being converted, 
and knelt by him, trying with God’s words to lead him 
to Jesus. 

Robert continued to object, taking the next oppor- 
tunity when alone with her to be very jealous, saying 
that he needed prayer and she had never prayed by his 
side for him. This was very hard to bear, since he had 
never asked her to pray for him at any time. 

The next night Rob went off hunting. As he never 
came about Dora devoted herself to Sylvano when he 
came. She knelt by him and tried to bring him to the 
light, and soon he believed through her word. His 
conversion was very bright, making not only Dora to 
rejoice, but all the little company. 

Robert gave her a great deal of advice and warned 
her that Sylvano would fall in love with her if she 
noticed him and presume on her friendship. Now, 
Sylvano, newly born of God, was humble and not 
thinking of Dora in that way at all. But Rob showed 


114 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


so much jealousy it brought about the very end he was 
trying to avert. 

Offense was taken by the Mexicans. Not at the meet- 
ing, but between services, Robert really persecuted Dora 
until one day she lost patience and said, “Rob, I hate 
you and would not care if you went off and stayed off.” 

He left the next day, saying, “I will not trouble you 
more, Dora.” 

When he was at a distance on his way he became 
conscious that he was a great sinner. Mr. Hunt, with 
his wife and Dora, had been uniting their prayers for 
him. 

“So Dora hates me,” he said to himself, “and I love 
the very ground she walks on and even her shadow 
falling on it.” 

He went further south, following the direction James 
had gone, but did not enjoy traveling with his usual zest. 
He was under deep conviction for sin. Bessie was the 
only one to whom he confided his troubles. In a long 
letter he revealed all the bitterness of his soul, telling 
her the whole story of his wicked jealousy and of Dora’s 
last words. He feared she would never return his love. 
Robert now began to hunger and thirst for righteous- 
ness, but because of disobedience he fell into temptation 
and was far from being filled. 

For the hardships he encountered while traveling in 
a wild tropic country led him to give way sometimes to 
his old habit of swearing. Things he used to whistle 
over now made him lose his temper, with remorse after- 
ward when he remembered Dora’s sweet, innocent expres- 
sion the time she preached her first sermon to him. It 
seemed as if but yesterday. Once a month he enclosed 
a letter to her in one to her mother. Dora did not read 
his heartache in those few^ words so cold and bare. To 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


115 


Mrs. Haygood he wrote a fine description of the places 
he passed through and the incidents of his journey. 

His conscience also troubled him about the way he 
had spent two months at the home of Anita. You 
remember, he had promised to come back to see them. 
Their unaffected joy at sight of him made an excuse 
for staying so long. It was really a bright spot in his 
life. Anita, now developing into girlhood, was even 
more lovely than he had expected from the promise of 
her childhood. 

And Robert had flirted with her. In thoughtful 
moments he resolved to go away, but there was something 
so winsome, so soothing in Anita’s admiration and open 
affection for him, he imagined, perhaps, if Dora never 
would love him — here he broke down — how could he 
entertain such a thought? No one if not Dora. 

Then he set sail on a visit to his aunt and reflected 
more than ever, with the power of the Holy Spirit to 
show him, what a sinner he had been to allow Anita 
to love him — so to lead her on as he had done. The 
months winged away and resolved to come back 
to Dora. 

Although he had faint hope of her being glad to see 
him, as Anita had been, he would return, anyway, to 
ask her to pray for him that he might be saved. 

Was it the fairy with golden wings and white tunic 
fluttering around his spray of honeysuckle who gave 
him a delicate whiff of sweet verbenas? Something 
whispered he should go another voute to search once 
more for James 


116 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Chapter VHL 
BESSIE. 

Blessed are the peacemaker, for they 
shall be called the children of God. 

(Matt. V, 9.) 

In Bessie’s room was a flower pot covered with white 
and fragrant blossoms of narcissus, and every day she 
pinned the waxy flowers on her bosom as a reminder 
and adornment. 

You remember, dear children, Bessie came to school 
a year later than the others and was now finishing 
her fourth term. Caroline was still with her, as she 
taught a class in vocal and one in instrumental music. 
Max was teacher of the A class in painting. Gerald 
roomed on the school grounds and once held a position 
as a stenographer. They were all careful not to let 
Gerald’s mother know of his intemperate habits, since 
Evangeline had broken her engagement with him. 

One fine morning Bessie set out on her mission as 
peacemaker. James had written her this thought — one 
entirely new to her — that we must be peacemakers not 
only between offended friends, but, wonderful privilege, 
we could make peace between sinners and their estranged 
God. She thought of Gerald with a black cloud of sin 
between and his alienated Father in Heaven, God, whose 
eyes are too pure to look on sin with any toleration. 
She knew Gerald was fast going to destruction. Not 
only his body was being destroyed, but his soul, without 
holiness, would never see the Lord. 

Lovely and fair, she went on her way to see him, and 
coming in brought the cheer of a spring morning with 
her flowers to Gerald, now so ill with drink and inflam- 
Jiatory rheumatism. 

Her dark eyes would make you think of a cloudy day 
when the skies shed tears once in a while. Her nature, 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


117 


more thoughtful than gay, was now stirred by a deep 
feeling of anxiety for Gerald, while a faint hope, like 
a white bird in a darkened sky, fluttered in her heart. 

In his better days Gerald had given Bessie only 
passing notice. Today as she read to him from a favorite 
author he observed for the first time how red and well 
formed her mouth was, even like Cupid’s bow cut in 
crimson. Her skin was fair, almost without any pink; 
her hair brown, but not often becomingly arranged. She 
did not have the queenly beauty of Evangeline, the 
brilliancy and contrast of color which made Caroline 
so alluring, nor the dreamy eyes and cherubic expres- 
sion of Dora. 

But she possessed a constancy of nature and strength 
of character greater than the others, while the beauty 
of her soul shone through her eyes. 

She found Gerald suffering greatly and glad of any 
diversion. There were many bunches of flowers in 
mugs and vases on his table. 

“Yes,” said he in answer to her inquiring glance, “the 
children remember me still,” showing her a tiny note 
a little girl had sent him with her bouquet. In the 
simple words and way of a child she had begged him 
to come back and hold their Sunday School for them 
again. 

“Will you not go, Gerald, when you get well?” 
inquired Bessie. 

“And Satan came there, too,” quoted he. “They will 
have in a better man than me before then.” 

“Wliy do you not send for the Nobleman’s Son? He 
would come quickly and gladly.” 

“No use,” responded her. “He has gone off too 
far. I do not believe He will come back to me. And 
besides, I am ashamed to ask Him. And He did not 
cure me before — or else” — 


118 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


The thought of his present sad condition overcame 
him; he turned slightly away and said no more. 

“You will die if you do not change,” . urged Bessie, 
“and I think you ought to be more ashamed to stay as 
you are than to call on the Only One who can help you.” 

“It matters not — there is nothing for me to live for.” 

Bessie had waited on him so patiently, carrying him 
delicacies made with her own hands; in addition, the 
burden of his care had fallen on one of his former 
room-mates and herself for some time past. She was 
about to lose her patience when a new idea came to 
the rescue. 

“Why should you not want to live? You might try 
to find James.” 

“If Rob could not find him how could I? The wild 
beasts might kill me.” 

“You might try, at least. His life is worth much to 
us and still more to the world.” 

“And you do not think mine is?” asked he. 

“Not the way you are doing,” said Bessie firmly. 
“What good is your life to anyone?” 

Gerald was startled. Bessie, always before so tender 
and kind, did not seem to care at all what happened to 
him. But she saw he had not stopped drinking and was 
beginning to be disgusted and had half a mind to tell 
him so. Then she recalled how she used to treasure 
the least kind word from him and began to cry instead. 

He was aroused by this, for the nobleness of his 
nature was not quite drowned out. Then somebody 
cared ! ^ 

In his voice was a caress as he apologized and tried 
to comfort her with assurances that he would do as she 
wished. 

Then Bessie, who had loved him so truly all the way 
ot her young life, looking up saw for the first time. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


119 


through her tears, love and admiration in his eyes. 
Bessie was most beautiful to him as the loveliness of 
her soul was at that moment revealed. But, with rare 
wisdom, she decided she wanted a different Gerald to 
love her, so she veiled her heart by advice which seemed 
rather hard. 

‘T do think you might go in search of James, whose 

life is worth so much, while yours ” 

“I thought I was worth more to you than to be sent 
away for wild beasts to devour,” interposed he. 

“If you had some good purpose in view you might 
get the victory over a habit which, like a wild beast, 
devours you night and day.” 

Her apparent indifference just when Gerald began to 
fall in love with her, like the peg on the guitar string, 
fastened his love in once for all. 

The result was his decision to break off from drink 
and get ready to go to Mexico to seek for James. 

“I will risk my life for him, then the Son will forgive 
me, for since He once offered His own life for those 
He loved, He cannot be hard on me if I follow His 
example.” 

Chapter IX. 

THE SEA VOYAGE. 

The sails are up, the breeze it bloweth fair. 

And the sun just over the masthead stands; 

While the white foam blows like a maiden’s hair 
And we are off! Are off to foreign lands! 

Life is the ship and time the sea, 

And Christ our Captain brave. 

Oh, may our bark sail far and free 
And ne’er sink ’neath the cold black wave. 

Mary E. W'ilson. 


120 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Gerald knew he was in for a hard struggle and Bessie 
gave him this verse to help him: “Nay, in all these 
things we are more than conquerors through Him that 
loved us.” (Rom. viii, 37.) He must regain the strength 
his enemy had wasted before he could undertake the 
expedition. 

He wanted Bessie should have the most delightful 
trip in her life, so she would have pleasant memories 
of him were he taken off by some of the threatening 
dangers. And he assured her he needed her presence 
and help to gain this victory. 

Mrs. Noithwood readily eiitered into their plans, 
as she said Bessie needed rest and recreation. And she 
hoped they would first go overland to Los Angeles, 
California, where she had relatives who had insisted she 
should visit them. 

After Bessie had taken counsel of the Nobleman and 
they had duly considered everything, they decided to go 
by the route Mrs. Northwood wished. For herself and 
Bessie she had abundance of money for all expenses, 
while Gerald knew his parents would gladly furnish the 
means for him as soon as they received word about the 
condition of his health. 

In a few weeks they were out on the Pacific — 

Whose waters were so grand a blue 
Kings might have robed in such a hue. 

Over their subjects brave and true, 

While they reigned, with love unfeigned, 

You may well believe this was indeed the happiest 
time in Bessie’s hitherto quiet life, one she ever looked 
back to with pleasure as Arcadian or Halcyon days. To 
be with Gerald while he was making this noble effort, 
to enjoy his gaieties, which made him like he was in 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


121 


his boyhood days and health, to see his Grecian nose 
emerging from its metamorphosis — this was the wine of 
life. 

And the wine we shall drink new in the kingdom is 
rejoicing in a soul saved, the joy Bessie now felt, who 
had made peace between Gerald and the Highest of all. 

Soon Gerald was so much stronger he unpacked his 
sleeping violin and played for delighted hearers at night 
when the moon at sea watched the happy scene. 

Much as Bessie had admired his music when he used 
to play with Evangeline, to her glad wonder it was far 
more beautiful now Gerald really loved for the first 
time in his life. 

Evangeline never had loved him, and as Bessie always 
had, he realized it was quite a different thing, love with 
love returned. He did not intend to tell her his love 
until he knew victory was surely won over his deadly 
foe, but it would tell itself in his music. 

The Nobleman came on board at Manzanilla and 
suggested they should have preaching on ship. There 
were many ministers, of different denominations. They 
cast lots for a preacher, and one with a very gentle face 
drew the slip of paper which was to decide who was to 
deliver God’s message. 

His text was, ‘T pray God to sanctify you wholly, 
body, soul and spirit,” and he showed very clearly 
that we must be made and kept holy or we cannot see 
the Lord. The Spirit of God drew some to the altar 
to seek the blessing. Bessie had gone, and as Gerald 
would have followed her anywhere, he came also. Bessie 
obtained the blessing and, as Tennyson expresses it, 
ever after wore the white flower of an innocent life. 

Gerald was in earnest, but he was not ready to give 
up his will for the pure, perfect and acceptable will of 
God. He lost faith once because he could not have 


122 THE SEVEN WHEELS 

Evangeline and now his love for Bessie bordered on 
adoration. He loved her so passiontely and idolatrously 
that he would not have been resigned to have her taken 
from him. So he missed the very blessing he needed 
while Bessie, who put God first, experienced it in the 
way expressed by these lines: 

I 

“Holiness by faith in Jesus, 

Not by effort of thine own; 

Sin’s dominion crushed and broken 
By the power of grace alone. 

God’s own holiness within thee. 

His own beauty on thy brow; 

This shall be thy pilgrim glory. 

This thy blessed portion now.” 

Just as the service closed Gerald saw the gaze of the 
Nobleman, which like lightning burned into his soul the 
truth that he was not on the safe side, missing sanctifica- 
tion. 

He hastened to Bessie and, placing her hand on his 
arm, took her up on deck just in time to see Manzanilla 
as the ship neared it. The dangerous rocks prevented 
them coming too close, so the city had all the enchant- 
ment distance lends. To Bessie, viewing it for the first 
time, in her sublime state of mind it seemed like the 
New Jerusalem had descended from Heaven. 

Wlien she recovered her breath she asked Gerald what 
wer those marble forms rising out of the water near 
the city. He did not know, but the minister had learned 
before and told him they were rocks white with the 
deposit of guano from the birds who made them their 
refuge and resting place. He called their attention to 
Isaiah’s comparison, Christ as a rock in a weary land. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


123 


Shining in the sunlight, the city appeared to have bul- 
warks of marble. 

“Thus the commonest things of earth,” continued this 
man of God, “can be transformed by the glorious rays 
of the Sun of Righteousness.” 

The grandeur of this place was enhanced by a cathedral 
on one of the rocks and on another the highest light- 
house on the Pacific coast pointed Heavenward. It 
was the fairest city they had ever beheld and they gazed 
at the exquisite scene until distance drew down her 
veil and they saw it no more. 

Their journey ended at Jalapa, where there were a 
few days of rejoicing on meeting the loved ones at the 
Mission. Then Bessie had leisure from the enjoyment 
of the charms and novelties of that clime to have a quiet 
talk with Dora. 

“How could you treat Rob so?” she began. 

Dora wept and told her how he had persecuted her 
until she hardly knew how she felt toward him. Then 
Bessie, with her arm around dear little Dora, told her 
how glad Rob looked when the clue was found and 
how he had nearly lost his life trying to find her. 

“And no other boy can ever love you as Rob does,” 
she ended. 

Not long after this a very penitent letter reached Rob 
from Dora. It ran this way: 

“I did not mean to say T hate you,’ but if I did say 
so it was only in the Bible sense of the word, which 
means ‘love less.’ We must love less anyone who does 
not want us to mind Jesus. And Rob, I really do love 
you less than mamma,” which last was not much comfort 
to him. 

Bessie was again a blessed peacemaker, for Dora and 


124 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


Rob were soon writing long and interesting letters to 
each other once more. 

Chapter X. 

DORA. 

Blessed are they who are persecuted for 
righteousness sake; for theirs is the king- 
dom of Heaven. (Matt, v, 16.) 

At first Dora was so occupied with her work under 
such happy auspices, her plans for enlightening and 
saving the Mexicans, thoughts on her verse seldom came 
into her mind, although she took a box of lilies of the 
valley, hoping they would live in that climate while she 
was wearing the delicate flowers. 

Forgetting her verse seemed a small omission of duty. 
But it might have kept her from sin when Robert began 
to persecute her with his views. His aunt, in her letters, 
was continually expressing, openly and covertly, her 
disapproval of Dora’s life of association with the Mexi- 
cans. However, Dora let slip the great teaching of her 
verse. Instead of looking to Jesus for the great reward 
promised those persecuted for righteousness sake, she 
was offended and lost her blessing. 

What made it worse, the quarrel took place just as 
Robert intended to go in search of James. And Dora 
realized she could not have hurt him more than by 
falling out with him at that time. 

After a fruitless hunt for James, he wrote that he 
would go on to see his aunt. Now Dora missed him more 
than she had thought possible. His presence had been 
a shield and protection which she had enjoyed uncon- 
sciously. 

For Sylvano felt an advantage in Robert’s staying 
away so long. Being more pleased with Dora than 
ever, he noticed her more, and at last she was shown 
that he was really trying to gain her love. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


125 


Dora was sorry for this change in their former easy 

terms of friendship. She felt a great regard for him 
because he was a child of God with this added joy, the 
certainty that he had been saved through her earnest 
prayers and efforts. She had hoped now he would help 
win the others. But on account of Rob’s behavior he 
was now so in love with her it was taking his mind away 
from his love for Jesus. 

Sylvano was the best player of the four, a natural 
musician, handsome, and of a lighter color than most 
of the natives of Jalapa. His father being rich, he always 
dressed in the finest fabrics, worn with taste. Besides 
being graceful in person, he used their naturally beautiful 
language correctly and with a peculiar eloquence. 

You can easily understand, dear children, why Dora 
could not help admiring him with the kindest feelings. 
She did not intentionally encourage him, for Robert’s 
constant warnings were not without effect. 

It was only after the following incident her eye? 
were opened: One day he brought her a large, finely 
dressed tiger skin, the hair and spots left on as Nature 
made them. He had killed the animal in the jungles 
and now laid it at her feet. 

The Aztec Indians of ancient time had the custom 
when they wanted to propose, of bringing game they 
had killed in the chase and laying it at the feet of the 
loved one. The Mexicans in the tropical regions of 
Mexico no doubt were descendants of the Aztecs and 
practiced their traditions. 

When Sylvano spread this trophy so proudly at the 
feet of Dora, whom he adored almost as if she were 
a goddess, she accepted it with delight, not suspicioning 
the meaning he wished to convey. He had often given 
her birds’ wings, curiosities from the forest and shells 


126 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


from the seashore. She had even worn the birds’ wings 
on her turban. 

So she thanked him with a smile of delight and ran 
in to show it to the rest. Brother Hunt was away selling 
Bibles at this time. On his return he saw the situation 
and explained to Dora and her mother why Sylvano 
kept bringing her game of all kinds. 

Dora then declined his offerings. Still he would not 
take back the tiger skin. He was too quick-witted not 
to understand, after a while, but his gallantry forbade 
him taking away something he had already given her. 

The Mexicans, with whom he was very popular, 
thought she had accepted him with his tiger skin, and 
on discovering their mistake were displeased with Dora 
and began to oppose themselves. 

The work the Holy Spirit had been doing among them 
was broken up and hindered, for Dora lost her power 
from God getting angry with Rob, and only after 
importunate prayer did she recover it. 

Then Brother Hunt suggested they should make an 
expedition to the place where James had last been heard 
of with his wonderful success in converting the Catho- 
lics. “Perhaps the dear boy might yet be found,” 
said he. 

Our missionaries on arriving pitched their tents in 
a grove of large trees, where they held services. The 
Catholics who filled the land and had not believed in the 
work James had done, began opposition without delay. 
They were enraged because of the converts made under 
his ministry and, filled with bigotry, began the persecu- 
tion by surrounding the place of worship and making 
al sorts of uncouth noises, disturbing the hearing of 
the word. 

Finding the workers would not cease to sing, pray 
and preach, they threw rotten bananas and papaguayas 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


127 


at them and their hearers. Brother Hunt received a 
liberal quantity of rotton guavos and other fruits on 
his back, and the pretty face of Dora on several occasions 
was smeared and dripping from thse unsavory missiles. 

But oh, the riches of the power and grace of God, 
souls were being saved nearly every service and Mexi- 
cans were still coming in throngs. The savages of 
Southern Mexico are fascinated by music and although 
there was only Dora’s harp and Brother Hunt’s twelve- 
stringed guitar to make music with, it was charming, 
inspired as it was by the Holy Spirit in the players. 

One day a band of armed monks came in suddenly 
and took the missionaries prisoners. Conducting theni 
to an adobe house of large size they locked them up 
in one of the rooms, barring the windows with strong 
bamboo canes. 

Here they received the promised blessing of the 
persecuted, for God blessed them in great measure. 
Although crowded in one room, with only straw and 
matting for beds, they rejoiced in spirit and like Paul 
and Silas were singing hymns. 

Thir oppressors soon silenced their singing, but they 
prayed yet more fervently and rejoiced in hope of the 
glory of God. 

Mrs. Hunt, however, liked and was used to good fare 
and she complained of the hard tortillas and thin soup 
they were fed with. Indeed, her fears were correct that 
at any time they might cease to bring them any food 
so starvation might be their fate. 

Now Dora began to wish that Rob would look her 
up again. She found she really loved him more than 
she had known. And she longed to see him coming 
with his mop of sandy hair and business-like nose. Then 
she opened those lovely eyes wider, as was her way. 


128 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


for there came Rob strolling along whistling her favorite 
song, not dreaming she was near. 

Quick as a flash she tore a white leaf from her Bible 
and writing on it, “We are imprisoned .here,” she 
knocked a piece of mortar off with a sudden blow of 
her foot and pressing the note closely around it threw 
it at Robert, striking his shoulder, who turned in time 
to see the wave of her hand. After reading it carefully 
he went on, whistling “Courage, I will rescue you.” 
Anyway, it sounded like it to Dora. 

That night he came with two others and pouring kero- 
sene oil around the hinges of the massive door, they 
set fire to the wood and soon pulled down the door. 
Rob impetuously seized Dora, Gerald led Bessie out 
and Mr. Hunt, as in duty bound, took charge of his 
wife and Dora’s mother. An ambulance' stood there, 
the man in front in monk’s vesture. At first sight of 
these Catholic arrangements Dora started back from 
the door as if from the jaws of death, but Rob whis- 
pered “Fear not.” Another look and she recognized 
Gerald in the monk’s vesture, so she piled in with the 
rest. 

Now she remembered this was the second time she 
was being rescued by Rob. He would be certain to 
think she must love him and she did not — at least, not 
very much — so she hasted to sit on the other side of 
Bessie. It was very dark inside and solemn, as Brother 
Hunt was giving thanks out loud in prayer. They 
traveled in haste all night and when the sun rose, giving 
them light to see, they welcomed Gerald and his priestly 
companion, but day revealed a still greater surprise and 
Dora forgot herself in the joy of it. 

There had always been a special place in her heart 
since his sermon had set her thinking about her mission. 
And there he was safe and sound. After a few days 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


129 


another arrival caused new excitement. Anita, having 
traced Rob to the place, came with her parents for a 
long visit. 

Dora might now have shown jealousy, but jealousy 
was no part of her nature. She only looked dovelike 
wonder when Anita hung around Rob, affectionate as 
a child and entirely devoted to him. But Robert was 
discreet withal. He told Dora he was anxious about 
his soul, which was the truth. Would she, her mother 
and James come into the tent to pray for him while 
Bessie took Anita to hear the marimba? A plan which 
in the end pleased all parties, for in a week’s time Rob 
was converted, and meanwhile the heart of Anita was 
charmed away by Sylvano and his music. 

Chapter XL 

THE MONK ISIDRIO. 

Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and 
renew a right spirit within me. (Psa. 51.) 

The undreamed of success James had winning souls 
from the darkness of sinful and ignorant life, of bring- 
ing, by personal work and the ministry of the word, 
souls from Nature’s darkness to the marvelous light 
and liberty of the children of God, comforted him not 
a little. He won his way to the heartJi of these people 
so long under the delusion and domination of Catholicism 
by healing their sick by his gift of faith in the Great 
Physician who wrought through him. This made them 
see God was with him in truth and opened the door 
for his preaching, which, filled with the Spirit and 
power, moved them mightily. There was also the pathos 
which his heart grief conveyed to his voice; it caught 
and held their attention. 

The monks often came around in their ambulances 
to carry fruit back to their Abbey, which was about 
seven miles to the southeast. This building was very 


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THE SEVEN WHEELS 


large, Soledad de la Virgen (Solitude of the Virgin) 
was its name. 

James was particularly attracted by one man whose 
look of mature intelligence was combined with a counte- 
nance endowed with the freshness of youth. It was, 
however, its purity of expression which made James 
love to look at him. 

He came often and always sat where he could view 
and watch the changes in James’ face while listening 
with perfect attention to his clear explanation of the 
Bible. 

Later, when the boy preacher fearlessly attacked some 
of the strong doctrines of the Romish Church, proving 
by their own Bible that there is no necessity of con- 
fessing to a priest, as we have but one mediator between 
God and man, the Divine Man who is always accessible. 
(See I Tim. ii, 5.) It was then he caught a look from 
the eyes of the monk of mingled hate and defiance. 

He knew it was caused by the success of his ministry, 
for many Catholics were believing his words and follow- 
ing their acceptance into the kingdom of Heaven. 
James, however, continued with holy boldness to show 
how some exalted the Virgin Mary above the Wonderful 
Son of God, our Redeemer. 

One lovely moonlight night, James, after a long 
walk, came to their Abbey and stood in silent admira- 
tion. This edifice is best described by Sir Walter 
Scott in his “Melrose Abbey”: 

“If thou wouldst view fair Melrose aright 
Go visit it by the pale moonlight; 

For the gay beams of the lightsome day 
Gild but to flout its ruins gray. 

When the broken arches are black in night 
And each shafted oriel glimmers white; 


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131 


When the cold light’s uncertain shower 
Streams on the ruined central tower. 

When buttress and buttress alternately 
Seem framed of ebon and ivory. 

When silver edges the imagry 
And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die 
When the distant Tweed is heard to rave 
And the owlet hoot o’er the dead man’s grave, 
Then go, but go alone the while, 

Then view St. David’s ruined pile. 

And home returning soothly swear 
Was never scene so sad and fair.” 

Although this Abbey was not in ruins, this poem 
came to James, and as he gazed enraptured it seemed 
to represent this Abbey sitting in solitude. 

A monk looking out of his window saw and recog- 
nized him, and seized by a sudden thought, went out 
to invite him to come in and see how fine the inside 
was. The unsuspecting boy followed the monk, who 
led him into his own room, and while James was gazing 
at some paintings by the old masters — Click! he heard 
the lock turned — he was alone and a prisoner. 

The year Evangeline watched for his return while 
they doubted if he were alive and mourned for him, 
this Sauline-hearted monk kept him imprisoned. With 
the help of other monks he removed him to a room in 
the central part of the building, but after his trans- 
ferance was the only one who came to see him. He 
brought him good and plentiful food, passing it through 
the window. 

It was the same monk, with face so pure, who had 
been his attentive hearer during his last services in 
freedom. Now he visited him frequently and conversed 
with him for hours, apparently trying to make a Catho- 


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lie of him. The object of his imprisonment was to 
break up the work James was accomplishing among 
those who were either Catholics or only so in name, 
having no religion worth mentioning. 

Now James rejoiced that he had ever made his Bible 
his inseparable companion. “I may grow in grace in 
this solitude,” thought he, “as did Moses, Elijah and 
John Bunyan. Even as our Lord Jesus while alone with 
the wild beasts in the wilderness was prepared for His 
holier ministry.” 

James had overtaxed his physical strength by his 
constant devotion to this work and for some months felt 
it a palace of rest, for Jesus “dwelt with him there.” 
Sometimes he felt wild to be free, but then he prayed 
silently or oft times out loud to his God, who only 
could deliver. The monk often heard, as he paused 
before his door, and it thrilled his hard heart with pity. 

“There is something genuine,” thought he, “in his 
religion that I have never found in mine.” But the 
shining of his face, the sweet peace of resignation therein 
convinced him more. 

He could not help loving him. In secret James prayed 
for his conversion; that was one cause, but not the only 
one. James was so lovable no one could see him day 
after day without becoming attached to him. 

The monk began the friendship. Coming in one 
day he said: 

“My name is Isidrio to my friends; speak to me as 
a friend, although I have seemed an enemy to you. Your 
life has made me believe in you and your faith.” 

They had a long talk on the Bible and its teachings. 
Jesus did not argue with him; he explained the Bible, 
comparing it with the Catholic one; proved the same 
thing by both Bibles, since they are almost exactly alike. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


133 


Then Isidrio with a burst of confidence told him how 
he had sought by prayer, fasting and penance, together 
with all the power of his will, to become pure in thought 
and life. Outwardly his life seemed pure and perfect 
to his fellow monks, but he found, strive as he might, 
sin was ever present like a dark stain on his heart. 

“How I have longed for the peace and righteousness 
I see you have obtained, and now I feel I have com- 
mitted a crime (although at first I thought I was serving 
God), a cruel crime, in shutting out from the sunlight 
of life, a young boy like you. A terrible injury to your 
health and hindrance to the work you were doing so 
grandly. No doubt a mother, a sweetheart, perhaps, 
and hosts of friends mourn you as dead. And you 
have not hated me for it.” 

The look of agonizing repentance was more than 
James could bear, so he looked upward to Jesus and 
prayed. 

“Think no so, oh, Isidrio; you were obeying your 
conscience and God has blessed me through all. I am 
with Jesus night and day — I freely forgive you, my 
friend. The crown has been greater than the cross, and 
(with a sadder look in his eyes than Isidrio had ever 
seen there before) to those who love me, God can make 
all things work for their good.” 

“Pray for me that I may be forgiven and enjoy the 
peace you always have,” cried Isidrio. 

Then James prayed with all the power so fervent 
and effectual, and Isidrio received light. They con- 
tinued praying together until this erring soul was born 
of the Spirit. 

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory to be a min- 
ister of God in bringing into the kingdom of light. 
That joy James felt and that alone more than com- 
pensated him for his sufferings while imprisoned. More- 


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over, he had gained a friend who was bound to him 
by a tie which never could be broken. 

It would have done anyone good to have seen how 
humbly yet eagerly Isidrio sought instruction from 
James, begging him to stay a few days longer before 
going out into freedom. He wanted James to go to 
Salin Cruz, by the sea, where he could recover color 
and strength bathing in the invigorating salt water 
before restoring him to his friends. 

James willingly consented, so after filling a knap- 
sack with parched corn for bread, he arrayed James 
in the dress of a monk, leading him out through a long, 
low, unfrequented passage into the open world, from 
whence, traveling through forest and glade, hunting, 
fishing and gathering fruit, they avoided the haunts of 
men until they reached the port on the coast. 

They had fine times bathing and collecting curios 
and as they returned once more in one of their walks 
through the woods and over hills, Isidrio told his friend 
the story of his love for a Spanish girl. He loved her 
so dearly that when she died he took the vows of a 
monk, caring no more for earthly things. 

He thought perhaps James also had loved and lost, 
so James told him about Evangeline. When his hopes 
were brightest she had preferred his friend. 

Chapter XH. 

FOREVER AND FOREVER. 

They ivere holding meetings along the way coming 
back. One evening while resting in the shade of the 
trees where they had wandered, Isidrio said: 

‘T feel like I also had escaped from prison since 
Christ has made me free from the bondage of sin and 
the thraldom of the forms and requirements of the 
Catholic Church. You are the one God used to bring 
about this glorious change from death unto life in me. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


135 


And in return for this great blessing your prayers have 
brought me, I pray you to become like I am by taking 
the vow of celibacy, which will keep you a virgin for- 
ever in the service of God.” 

“That would be easy for me to do,” responded James, 
“for Evangeline has probably married long ago. She 
deceived me for she acted as if she loved me and then 
deliberately chose Gerald, who is completely my oppo- 
site in appearance, temperament and disposition. I 
cannot bear to talk about it — but for Jesus my heart 
would break.” 

“Yet, my noble friend, the love of no human being 
can be half so grand, so delightful, as the love of Jesus 
which is yours without change and forever.” 

“It was a weakness — a momentary pang — and since 
my Master, the fairest among ten thousand, has said 
there is no marriage in Heaven, it cannot matter much 
missing here as a condition of happiness, that which is 
not deemed worthy to be continued in the great Beyond. 
And the Bible declares it better, and since my soul longs 
for the best, I am ready for the vow.” 

Placing his hands on the Bible, they knelt, and James 
repeated the solemn promise after the Monk Isidrio, 
who only, with the lofty trees, the singing birds as 
they flitted by, and God were witnesses. Then they 
set out to find the place where he had left Dora and 
her friends. On their way they heard pitiful moans 
coming from a cottage near by. 

Going in they saw Gerald on a bed, who, seeing James, 
was on the point of believing Delirium Tremens had 
set in or it was his ghost he saw. 

But in a few moments he decided he was too real 
for a spirit with that ruddy color and hearty embrace. 
Then he made his penitent confession, not to the monk 
priest, but to James. 


136 


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“Well, old fellow,” he began, “I came in search of 
you, but you have found me instead. It is this awful 
curse of drink that has thwarted me.” 

Then all at once they saw that help was laid on one 
that was mighty to save, for right there beside Gerald 
was the Nobleman and His Son. They all knelt and 
prayed, while Gerald wept bitterly and held on to the 
robe of the Son. 

Soon Gerald arose. The habit that enslaved him was 
gone like a devil cast out, while strength had come 
with health and cure. 

Then they all went on their way together, but soon 
Isidrio excused himself, saying he wanted to gather 
fruit and nuts for their dinner, and would go around 
another road to meet them ahead. Gerald and James 
could then talk without constraint of the past and 
present. 

Gerald first told James how he had left Dora, Bessie 
and the rest well and followed by their prayers set out 
southward. He had been very much interested in the 
flowers, getting specimens of the new ones as he moved 
forward among them, but soon came in contact with 
the semi-civilized Mexicans, who drank mezcal like 
water. Every house was a saloon and a girl or woman 
was as often seen drunk as the men. 

One day, faint and weary, the temptation came over 
him like a flood as he smelled the odor of liquor at 
an open door and he yielded to become again enthralled. 
Surely they ought not to have trusted him without a 
companion to rescue him. 

“But no,” said James, “only looking to Jesus would 
have availed and He was with you.” 

Then Gerald asked James why he had deserted Evan- 
geline for Mexico and explained to him the mystery of 
those kisses which were given and received so purely. 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


137 


although they had worked such woe to James and herself. 

To know that Evangeline had never been untrue to 
him made James strong with gladness. He rejoiced also 
with Gerald over Bessie. How they knew she was the 
means of his deliverance for the Nobleman had told 
them, her prayers were the cause of their coming to 
him. And Gerald told his companion hoW she loved 
him and was already his by the right of his great love 
for her. 

Isidrio rejoined him and thought he had never before 
seen two such happy faces. The band of seven were 
soon reunited, for James could not rest until he went 
for Evangeline. And Max and Caroline had to come, 
too, as they had long wanted to be with the rest. 

James did not wait long enough for her to get his 
letter, in which he wrote all about himself, his plans 
and his vow, but she received it before he arrived. And 
was Evangeline saddened by the vow he had taken? In 
no wise, for the inexpressible joy of seeing him again, 
as if raised from the dead, at first obliterated every 
other consideration. 

Then when he came and the old love was just the 
same, Evangeline, who had always been so heavenly- 
minded that she seemed to be rather a citizen of Heaven 
than of Earth, and her long sorrow had made her even 
more so, was glad to join him in the same vow. 

To hear the story of his love as he now told it in 
words, a story no woman ever listens to unmoved, to 
know that at last they understood each other was enough. 

Chapter XHI. 

AMEN. 

Our Savior will come soon and all 
Will be happy and beautiful then; 

Earth, like a great Salvation Hall, 

Will echo Our Savior’s grand Amen. ^ 


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TH‘E SEVEN WHEELS 


And now, being reunited, the band took the first oppor- 
tunity of going back to their childhood custom of getting 
into the branches of a tree, to give thanks and pray. 
They were so happy they sang also in the same tree. 
Just the eight usually met for prayer and communion. 

They prayed for Gerald to be sanctified and the bless- 
ing was received by him soon after. For there is no 
mightier power than united prayer when it comes from 
loving hearts which agree as one. And they were also 
rejoicing in the happiness of Bessie and Gerald. 

The two were wending their way one night to the 
Garden of Worship. It was soon after God had forever 
taken away from Gerald the curse of strong drink. 
While his loving arm guided her steps he said to her: 

“You have helped me through a hard place, Bessie; 
how can I go the rest of the journey without you? Will 
you accept the mission?” 

. And for answer Bessie looked up into his eyes with 
a smile of ineffable content. 

Before this happy issue Gerald’s general health had 
been restored and he was looking well. In fact, he had 
gained such a conquest that he now had a kingly bearing. 

They all petted him. Mrs. Hunt, who was a fine 
cook, made choice dishes for him. If Max or Rob, who 
were the Nimrods of the party, caught a small fish, it 
was prepared for him. They killed a large bear and 
Mr. Hunt dressed the skin with the hair on it and it was 
given Gerald for a wrap to protect him from the frequent 
showers when out hunting. 

It was shaped like a Spanish cape by Mrs. Hunt, who 
lined it and made sleeves to go under, of some fine, 
durable cloth she had brought from the “auld con- 
tree.” 

In this atmosphere of love he grew handsomer every 
day. When interested he would go out, rain or shine. 





La Marimba 






THE SEVEN WHEELS 


139 


to hunt rare flowers or other wonders of the vegetable 
kingdom, nearly always accompanied by Bessie. When 
they both saw a flower which seemed a prize they would 
race like children to see who would get it first. Just 
imagine how happy those hours were to both. 

Max now reminded Caroline that as Gerald was there 
with his Grecian nose fully restored to its pristine glory, 
and James in their midst, there was no reason for delay- 
ing their marriage. 

I love the word Amen in a meeting when it rings true. 
The Nobleman had said Amen to the wedding and His 
Amen was echoed in the hearts of the rest. 

The owner of the Garden had allowed them to select 
a tree. A stalwart higuera with its embroidered leaves 
had been their resort for prayer and conference. Its 
large, strong branches afforded comfortable seats for 
all who usually occupied them. Near by stood a 
Wamuche, whose russet beans rustled with importance, 
and its yellow flowers — it might be so, who knows? — 
made canopies for the fairies as they swung in the cres- 
cent beanpods. It is not hard to fancy myriads of tiny 
beings making the air vibrate as they flitted happily in 
the pale moonlight, for it was a night half dark, half 
light. 

Sylvano and the other players were to play the Wed- 
ding March on their marimba. Caroline had written 
for Mill May to come for bridesmaid, and she arrived 
several days before. Dora was flower girl, carrying a 
basketful of white flowers of all the kinds they had 
worn as symbols of the virtues they wer cultivating. 
The Nobleman brought them for Caroline and children, 
lest you forget, these Christian graces were humble im- 
portunity, penitence, meekness, thirst for goodness, 
heart purity, pity, peace making and patience. 

The monk Isidrio had given a large number of wax 


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THE SEVEN WHEELS 


tapers and candles as Caroline had wished. And Mill 
May had brought Chinese lanterns to hold them, as 
Caroline had requested. The Mexicans, who were quite 
taken with the gracious manners and beauty of “Caro- 
lina,” brought abundance of fruit, delicious in flavor 
and agreeable in variety. 

Caroline, dressed as a Summer Girl, adorned with a 
wreath of real orange blossoms, with living roses in her 
cheeks, never appeared happier or lovelier. And Max — 
you know how dear he looked. 

James, the Preacher, performed the ceremony very 
impressively, his face at the time being illumined with 
high and joyful thoughts. 

After the congratulations were over Caroline received 
a guitar wreathed with red roses to play while Evan- 
geline sang “Love Me and the World Is Mine,” “and 
Heaven, too,” added the Nobleman after the last silvery 
note was sung. His favorite hymn resounded from all 
as the basket of flowers was presented her. 

There were no other presents given then, as the 
Nobleman said their joy was now full. A week later 
these love gifts would be more thought of. 

Dear children, it seems if all the enchanting things 
enjoyed that night were written down for you a day 
might be too long to read it and do your bounden duties. 

Suffice it to say the wedding of Max and Caroline 
exceeded in delight and general festivity all the wed- 
dings that took place among them and was ever bright 
in the memories of the “eight and Isidrio.” One of 
Gerald’s sayings. 

The Nobleman, echoed by the rest, said Amen to 
another wedding. Sylvano wanted it to take place the 
night of Caroline’s, but he began to compose a wed- 
ding march for Anita and Gerald liked it so much he 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


141 


persuaded Sylvano to wait a month, when he and Bes- 
sie would be ready. 

This double wedding was also enjoyed with great 
zest. The Nobleman said he could not be parted from 
His children as walking in their various ways, leaving 
shining tracks, had so endeared them. 

He builded another castle there in Mexico with many 
apartments so they could all dwell together. Caroline 
and Maxwell had a room next Evangeline and her 
mother. James and Isidrio, who were sworn chums, 
had a room opposite on the west. Rob’s room was next 
James’, with his room-mate a fine St. Bernard dog he 
had bought while in search for Dora, and they were 
great comrades. 

Dora and Mill May occupied a room on the North 
side, with Brother Hunt and his wife next. Besides 
were many rooms for guests and one especially cheery 
where they all repaired when they were sociable. 

Dwelling with the Nobleman, they felt entire free- 
dom from care. Nowhere else seemed home, for the 
sunshine of His presence pervaded the castle. 

When James went off to hold a meeting Evangeline 
always went with him. Those who saw the fair-haired 
girl singing and playing for his meetings thought she 
was the Evangelist’s sister or, maybe an angel come 
from Heaven to bless his work. As she moved about 
trying to win sinners in the congregation it was not far 
from the truth, for is it not angelic work to seek the 
lost? Are not angels ministering spirits sent to min- 
ister to those who shall be heirs of Salvation? 

His manner toward her in public was grave and 
courteous. He appeared absorbed in the Lord’s work. 
But in each other’s rooms, where they so often gathered 
by turns, all reserve was laid aside — they were children 
once more and sweethearts. Whether they sat in pairs 


142 


THE SEVEN WHEELS 


or mingled together each knew their own was present. 
They talked of things enjoyed in common, laid plans 
for future accomplishment and rejoiced in being together 
with unsophisticated delight. 

Caroline and Max never head quarreled and never 
would. And adverse thought or occurrence never came 
between them. They were truly one. If Caroline saw 
Max wanted his way she took it for her way, or if Caro- 
line set her heart on anything it was just what Max 
wished to do. If matches are made in Heaven, verily 
theirs was one made there. 

Gerald and Bessie were real happy, yet more inter- 
ested also in people outside. Dora and Rob had their 
little fracases, but always made up with increase of 
love. 

But the greatest bliss of love, I ween. 

Was given to James and Evangeline. 








